A Hidden Blade
by Renny Autumn
Summary: Artemis Fayne has lived her entire life attempting to take back London from the Templars. But as their total domination approaches, Jacob and Evie Frye come to aid Artemis in her quest. Artemis finds herself growing closer to Jacob, but a secret from her past threatens to destroy her.
1. Strange Bedfellows

Chapter 1: Strange Bedfellows  
Author's Note: Bethesda owns the characters and story of Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Artemis and her adventures are mine.

* * *

Artemis Fayne carefully eyed the pair of travelers who were exiting the train. She knew who they were the instant that they left the train. The infamous Frye twins, son and daughter of Ethan Frye. But what were they doing in London?

As far as she knew, the Council was loathe to send anyone to help in the plight. They preferred to sit and wait for London to fully be controlled by the Templars. Well not if Artemis had anything to do with it. She'd face them alone if she had to. But if the Frye twins were here, perhaps the council had seen fit to send them some aid.  
Artemis carefully hopped down to a lower level, attempting to make out what they were saying.

"I've never seen so many people all at once."

Artemis studied Jacob Frye's face, noting the scar on his eyebrow, wondering how he'd managed to acquire it. His face was made all the more handsome by it's presence, not in spite of it.

"The churning seas of London. It's just the way Father described. Now, to find Henry Green and formulate a plan of attack against the Templars."  
At the mention of Henry's name, Artemis turned her attention to Evie. Evie was lovely, with her dark brown hair painstakingly arranged in a braided bun on her head, and her blue eyes sparkled with intelligence. Artemis wondered how she knew who Henry was.

"Who is Mr. Green again?"

"The Assassin watching over London. Did you not listen the first three times?"

"Listen to what?"

Artemis shook her head at his childishness, and then smiled as she saw a young boy bump into Jacob, picking his pocket.

"Oi! Watch it."

"Beg pardon, sir!"

As soon as Jacob realized that his wallet was missing, he began chasing after the boy.

"Oi! Come back here you filthy dipper!"

"Jacob, stop!"

Evie's shout did nothing to deter her brother from taking off after the boy. Artemis sighed and ran out from her hiding spot, careful to avoid Evie's gaze. She needed to make sure this idiotic Assassin didn't compromise her relationship with the children in Clara's gang.

She jumped from rooftop to rooftop, taking shortcuts to where she thought the boy might go. Soon, she caught sight of the boy, and Jacob, who was gaining on him. The boy cut through an alley where two Blighters were waiting.

"Shit. Not now."

Artemis readied her knives upon seeing the Blighters, unsure of how Jacob could handle himself in a fight. To her surprise, Jacob was agile, throwing punches to both Blighters before countering one of them who'd pulled a knife out. As Jacob was about to take out the Blighter with the knife, the second Blighter was coming up behind him. Artemis threw her knife, hitting the man squarely in the throat. Jacob turned to defend himself, but was shocked to see that the Blighter was already dead. He carefully plucked the throwing knife from the man's throat, and looked around him.

Artemis was perfectly still, certain that he'd never find her hiding spot. He shook his head, and then clapped his hands together.

"Haha. Excellent. What else does London have to offer?"

Artemis watched as Evie appeared from an alleyway, chiding her brother for running off.

"Now is not the time for tourism, Jacob. Now's the time to find Henry Green. I've always been the quicker climber, haven't I?"

"Not since we were two."

"Race you to the highest vantage point!"

Artemis smiled at the sibling rivalry, thinking of how often she'd challenged Henry in the same way. Although she always beat him. Poor Henry just wasn't cut out for field work. She carefully tailed the twins, watching as Evie darted ahead, her slight frame adding to her agility. Jacob was still quite agile, but he was no match for Evie. Artemis hid herself against the stovepipe of the building next door and listened to the twins.

"Where is Mr. Green's shop located? It was marked on Father's map."

As Evie spoke, Artemis watched Henry climb the building and surprise them.

"Two Assassins. Equal in height. One female, one male. Two decades old, and those devilish smiles. You must be the Frye twins."

Evie eyed Henry with immediate suspicion, but she carefully walked toward Henry.

"And you are...?"

"Henry Green, at your service. I was sorry to learn of your father's passing."

"Thank you."

Evie continued to stare at Henry, and Artemis wondered what she was thinking. Henry was quite good-looking, but was the girl so easily distracted by a handsome face? Jacob, on the other hand, cut straight to business.

"What can you tell us about Crawford Starrick?"

"I suppose the Council desires news?"

"London must be freed. To provide a better future for all of its citizens."

"Well thank goodness the Council saw reason and sent you to aid us."

"Yes. Thank goodness."

Artemis could tell he was lying. The Council hadn't sent them at all, she was sure of it. But it didn't matter. Now that they were here, perhaps they could be of some help anyway.

"Unfortunately, I am the bearer of bad news. Today, Starrick sits at the helm of the most sophisticated Templar infrastructure known in the western world. Every class, every borough, the gangs, the industries, his reach extends all across London."

Evie's face was grim, but Jacob's lit up in enthusiasm.

"I always thought of myself as a gang leader. Firm, but fair. We'll have uniforms. And I'll unite a mix of disenfranchised outsiders under one name. That's it, Evie! We can rally them to our side."

Artemis was careful not to snort in laughter at his idea. If he wanted to be a gang leader of the disenfranchised, he would have to talk to the current leader of them, Artemis herself. Thankfully, Evie scoffed at his idea as well.

"Oh? Like the way you rallied those card players at the Oakbrook Tavern into the river?"

"Ugh. That was different. They beat me at whist. I can see it now! We'll call ourselves The Rooks!"

He threw his arm up in a victorious pump, but Evie brushed his idea aside once more.

"You were never good at chess, either."

"Have you got a better plan?"

"Find the Piece of Eden."

This time, it was Jacob who scoffed. Artemis wasn't sure that finding the piece was of the utmost importance, but she had the good sense to realize that letting the Templars have it was a very bad idea.

"Well, let me show you the lay of the land, shall we?"

Henry pointed to the viewpoint, where the twins could get a better view of Whitechapel. With their Eagle Vision, Artemis needed to be careful about being seen.  
As the twins looked around, Henry spoke about some of the problems they'd been facing.

"Look at what Starrick has done to this city. Whitechapel is riddled with crime. Child labor, despite regulations. A gang known as the Blighters overruns the streets. And Templars behind the scenes. As in all the other boroughs. We need to return this city to the people who built it in the first place."

"We will free London from Starrick, you have my word."

"And my Rooks!"

Henry and Evie ignored Jacob's interjection and continued to stare at each other. His tone changed to one that Artemis had never heard before.

"Miss Frye, your passion is inspiring. Come. Let us return to my shop and I can bring you up to date on the rest."

The two of them broke their stares and blushed slightly. Artemis narrowed her eyes. If Henry and Evie were flirting already, how were any of them supposed to get anything accomplished? Artemis watched as Henry performed a Leap of Faith into a nearby straw pile and was followed by both Jacob and Evie.

"Keep quiet, Kaylock's looking for me."

Henry whispered at the twins, attempting to blend in with the people walking up and down the street. Kaylock. If Artemis had anything to do with it, he would be dealt with soon. Especially now that he was threatening Henry. She crept along the rooftops, careful not to make too much noise, as Evie questioned Henry.

"Who's Kaylock?"

"One of Starrick's gang leaders."

"Why does he want you?"

Jacob loudly spoke, seemingly unaware that the others had been whispering and that Henry had explicitly asked them to be quiet.

"He's after some of my more arcane research into one of the Precursor artifacts."

"The Piece of Eden."

Evie sounded intrigued, eager to hear more about what Henry had to say about his research. Considering that was her main objective, it wasn't too surprising that she was more interested than Jacob seemed to be.

"So tell me about these Blighters.

"In search of an army, Starrick gathered up the nastiest of the Underworld. Some of the city's gangs tried to prevent it, and were slaughtered for their efforts. Now, only Whitechapel's Clinkers remain opposed. But they won't be a match for the Blighters alone."

Artemis could have punched Henry for his slight. She was doing all that she could to rally more people to the cause, but she was only one person, and many men were loathe to listen to a woman in a position of power, despite the fact that they were all ruled by a Queen.

"Well, let's shine these Clinker's up then, shall we? They're just the sort we're looking for."

"I'm certain that you'll want to meet with their leader. But she won't be easy to win over."

"I'm sure that I can charm her."

Artemis smirked at Jacob's remarks. Charm indeed. At the present, she was more likely to stab him than join forces, but she would see what he would offer her. She could use the help, but she needed Jacob to think that she was doing him a favor, rather than the other way around.

"You can't be serious."

"Evie, they're ready to fight and oppose the Blighters. This is my chance to step in! Look out, London, here come the Rooks!"

As the three of them began to run faster, Artemis was less careful about noise, and more concerned with losing their tail. She needn't have worried though, because Jacob clumsily ran into none other than Charles Dickens, the famous author, scattering his pages to the ground.

"Confound this city! No one looks where they're going!"

Instead of apologizing, Jacob turned the blame on Dickens.

"Yes, I've noticed that."

Evie, on the other hand, began to help Mr. Dickens gather up the pages.

"Bloody Drood! I'll never finish it at this rate! Only providence knows where those words are headed now. Well, I must get to work replacing them. Should you ever be in the mood for a tale or two, you can always find me where the ale is warm and the tempers are hot! Ta-ta!"

He then walked into the corner pub, surprising the three assassins on the ground.

"What an odd man."

"That Mr. Frye was Charles Dickens. Knows everyone and everything in this city. If I were you, I'd keep that connection in your back pocket."

As he spoke, two Blighters across the street noticed Henry. The larger one pointed out Henry, while the slight woman began to run, looking for backup. Henry glanced over at them, realizing what was happening.

"Kaylock's gang is nearby. They must not follow me back to my shop."

"We'll take care of it." Evie assured him.

"Here. You might be able to use this."

Henry handed the twins each a revolver, and Jacob held his out in mockery.

"Oh, God, I hope so."

"My carriage is nearby. Make use of it to throw them off of my trail. I will meet you at the curio shop."

As the twins ran for Henry's carriage, and Henry threw up his hood and darted in the opposite direction, Artemis was torn as to who she should follow. She probably should have followed Henry to ensure his safety, but she was too curious about the newcomers. She threw a knife at the larger Blighter who had begun to follow Henry, taking him down in one shot, clearing the path for Henry. Now, he should be safe enough to make it home without too much trouble.

The twins raced to Henry's carriage and this time Jacob was the one who beat Evie. He took the reins and slapped the horse with them to get the carriage moving quickly.  
The Blighter's who had been summoned grabbed nearby carriages and raced after the twins. Artemis sighed and began the arduous task of following them. It was quite a feat to leap from building to building, pausing only long enough to look and listen for the trail of destruction. She caught up to the carriage in short fashion, wincing slightly as Jacob almost took out a few pedestrians. He would definitely need some driving lessons before she let him out on the streets again. Evie was doing an excellent job at throwing her knives and shooting the Blighters who got too close to the carriage. When they only had one carriage left following them, Artemis pulled out a knife and aimed for the leather straps that held the horse to the carriage. In one swift motion, she freed the horse from the carriage, upon which it promptly took off down the street, and left the Blighters stranded.

"They're gone!"

Jacob's excited voice could still clearly be heard over the chaos.

"Now to return to Mr. Green."

"Aye, aye, Captain."

"You're relentless."

"That relentlessness will see me become Master when we finish this."

"George would do nothing of the sort. Whatever's left of the Creed would perish under your control."

"Harsh words, dear sister."

"I do hope Mr. Green made it back safely."

Artemis, who had been following closely, almost paused at Evie's softly spoken words.

"Don't tell me you fancy the bloke already."

Artemis almost laughed. It seemed that she and Jacob had been pondering the same thing.

"And what do you suggest we do if our number one source of information turns up dead?"

"Starrick can't be THAT hard to find. I say we turn the carriage around and go find him!"

Even Starrick's name sent a chill down Artemis' spine. Jacob was a fool if he thought he could go after him unprepared. He'd be dead before he even got within two miles of Starrick.

"This is why you aren't in charge."

At least Evie had the good sense to wait before rushing into things blind. Perhaps the two of them could control her foolhardy brother. The carriage soon approached Henry's shop, and Jacob pulled on the reins to bring it to a stop. Evie seemed relieved to be on the ground again, and Artemis couldn't blame her after witnessing Jacob's driving.  
The two entered the shop and Artemis carefully climbed down the side of the building, waiting by the door for an opportunity to catch them by surprise.

"Did you give them the slip?"

"We gave them more than that."

Evie had walked closer to the back table where Henry had sheets of paper scattered across. On the sheets of paper were carefully drawn pictures of faces.  
"Who are all these people?

"Over the years we have established a number of connections across the city."

"We?"

As Jacob tilted his head in confusion at Henry, Artemis gently pressed her hidden blade into his back. He tensed immediately and tried to carefully turn his head to look at her.

"You might want to be more careful, Mr. Frye. If you aren't watching your back at all times, you won't survive long in London."

Jacob raised an eyebrow in a mixture of surprise and admiration and held up the throwing knife he'd pulled out of the Blighter's neck earlier.

"Yours, I imagine."

"Yes, and you're welcome for saving your arse."

"Artemis!"

Artemis turned to look at Henry and Evie, the latter of which wearing a pensive expression, and the former staring daggers at her. She pulled her hidden blade back into her gauntlet and stepped away from Jacob's back. He turned around to face her fully, eyes widening as he took her in.

"Well, Greenie, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Henry didn't respond to Jacob's nickname, but he let out a sigh and waved a hand in her direction.

"This is Artemis Fayne. She's a fellow assassin here in London. She's lived here her entire life, and is skilled in both stealth and battle. She's also the gang leader of the Clinkers."

"You couldn't have chosen a better name?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes at Jacob, more certain than ever that she wanted to stab him.

"As a matter of fact, no, I couldn't have. I acquired both the gang and its name recently. At least it isn't some stupid chess name like, I don't know, The Rooks."  
Evie let out a slight laugh, but a glare from Jacob silenced her. The smirk on her face, however, remained. Henry coughed slightly as Artemis and Jacob were locked in a staring contest.

"If you two are done with your cane-sword measuring contest…" He began, glaring at Artemis more than Jacob.

Artemis batted her eyelashes at Henry, attempting to look more innocent, which earned her a frown from Evie.

"I don't know what you mean, Hen. Poor Mr. Frye here was under the assumption that he could just waltz into London and start making drastic changes. I was merely attempting to correct his rather egregious oversight."

Jacob shifted his stance, crossing his arms and smirking in amusement. Artemis noted that his blue eyes lit up when he gave her the playful smile. She could use his lack of a poker face to her advantage.

Henry, on the other hand, sent Evie an apologetic shrug, which she accepted with a wide smile. The two assassins then returned their gazes to Jacob and Artemis, blushes creeping onto their cheeks.

"I think we can continue with the discussion civilly, can't we Mr. Frye?"

Artemis extended her gauntleted hand to Jacob, surprised when he firmly grabbed hers and pulled her closer in a power move.

"I certainly hope so."

For what seemed like an eternity, two pairs of eyes, one a bright green and the other a deep blue, stared deeply into each other. Another cough from Henry brought both assassins to their senses and their full attention back to him.

"As I was saying...We have established many connections in this city, and I think that it would be wise for the three of you to meet with them and see what they can offer you."

Artemis shook her head in surprise. The THREE of them? Surely he didn't intend for her to babysit the Fryes and show them every contact they had in London!

"But-!"

Artemis hadn't even been able to finish her sentence before a scathing look from Henry warned her not to argue with him. He was lucky that she loved him as a brother, otherwise a look like that would have earned him a knife to the back.

"Splendid! We'll need focused aid."

Evie seemed to appreciate the idea of meeting the contacts, but Jacob had other things on his mind.

"Focused aid? Psh. We take over Starrick's gangs, we cripple his control."

"You're not aiming high enough. Starrick has influence in every branch of society. We need to match him."

The twins' bickering didn't surprise Artemis in the least. Evie seemed to have a wise, moderate approach, whereas Jacob seemed to be the type to rush in without thinking. Fire and ice, those two.

"I see what you're saying Evie. We need the Rooks."

He glanced at Artemis, daring her to challenge him on the name. She narrowed her eyes in annoyance, but knew better than to challenge him in front of Henry.  
"You're not starting a gang called the Rooks."

At least Evie seemed to be on her side about his ridiculous name change for the gang. Sure, the Clinker's didn't have the most threatening sound, but she had inherited it from Logan, who'd founded the gang and passed the mantle on to her when he'd been blindsided by a Blighter. As if purposely attempting to change the subject before either Evie or Artemis threw something at Jacob, Henry spoke up.

"I believe I may have an idea of my own. You'll need the police to turn a blind eye to our activities. Our ally in the force is Sergeant Abberline. I've heard he's a master of disguise."

Artemis had to choke back a laugh at Henry's description of good old Abbey. A master of disguise, he was not. He did try, though, so she had to give him a little credit.  
"Next up, urchins."

"Urchins?"

Jacob sounded incredulous, and Artemis thought of him as more of a fool than she first realized.

"Urchins! Children make for excellent spies."

"Clara O'Dea…"

Evie read the paper and looked at the portrait that Henry had carefully created. Clara was probably Artemis' favorite child out of all the urchins, though she would never tell any of the others that.

"Smart as a whip, that one. Finally, you would be wise to remember that Starrick never acts alone. There are gang leaders in every borough. You'll meet them soon enough, no doubt."

As if to emphasize his point, Henry pointed at a picture of Kaylock.

"Rexford Kaylock, known for his ability to vanish before your very eyes."

"Shall we make him vanish for real?"

Artemis shared a conspiratorial smirk with Jacob, then chided herself for being friendly toward him. He was attempting to steal her gang right out from under her!

"I suppose."

Evie seemed reluctant to agree, but perhaps the chase through the streets had ingrained in her the severity of Kaylock's grip on Whitechapel.

"One moment."

Henry reached under the counter and grabbed another small piece of paper before handing it to Evie.

"Hm, a templar target you might want to look into. And be cautious. It's rough out there."

He nodded toward Artemis, who stretched her arms out like a cat and prepared to take the twins to meet all of their contacts. Jacob smugly responded to Henry before turning to follow her.

"Don't worry about me, Greenie. I can handle a few thugs."

As Artemis led the twins to a vacant carriage, she thought about how to confront Jacob about her gang. She grabbed the reins, much to Jacob's surprise, and waited for the two of them to sit in the back of the Growler. Evie was content to lounge in the plush back of the carriage, but Jacob chose the seat next to Artemis. She was mildly annoyed by this, especially since she didn't like being so close to men who weren't Henry. Unless she was killing them.

Jacob seemed to pick up on this, and scooted closer and closer to her until a scathing look sent him back to the other side of the bench.

"So, a mysterious unknown assassin in London. George never mentioned you."

"That's probably because as far as the Council is concerned, I don't exist. They know about me, but I am officially an unofficial part of the Order."

Jacob raised his scarred eyebrow, and once again Artemis was tempted to ask where it came from.

"Why would the Council refuse to recognize you as a member of the Order?"

Artemis frowned, wishing that he'd been less curious than she. It wasn't something she cared to reminisce about.

"Henry had taken me in, and had been training me the best he could, though he wasn't as good of a trainer as your father, from what I hear."

Jacob seemed surprised that she'd known about Henry's history with their father, but he didn't interrupt her.

"When he approached the Council about officially making me a member of the Order, they refused to accept me due to my...connections to the Templars."

Evie jerked to attention in the back of the Growler, and Jacob was silent, studying her intently.

"I don't wish to discuss the particulars as of right now, but suffice to say that the Council was wrong in their opinion that I would devote my life to those bastards. I want nothing more than to see the Templars burn for all the injustices they have committed."

With her words, spoken with pure fury, Evie relaxed once more, but Jacob still studied her, which was beginning to drive her crazy. No smart retort?  
Artemis slowed the carriage down, pulling gently on the reins so as not to throw Evie around in the back of the carriage. She hopped down from the carriage on her side, despite Jacob having gotten out and offered her his hand. Evie followed suit and the two of them waited for Artemis to lead the way to Clara O'Dea's merry band of urchins. The children were playing a game, and Clara ran over to Artemis to give her a hug upon seeing her.

Clara eyed the twins with an air of amusement.

"What is this place?"

Evie was curious, looking around at the small corner the children had made for themselves.

"It's nice to meet you both. This is Babylon Alley. Here we make it our business to know the streets, and provide children with the opportunity to control their own destinies."

Clara never ceased to amaze Artemis with how eloquently she spoke. She was wise beyond her years, and she had Artemis to thank for that. Still, the girl had a quality about her that made others want to follow her. Yes, she was going places, that one.

"Clara. Mr. Green said we might be able to help one another?"

Clara was no stranger to negotiations. She smiled before responding to Evie's question.

"In exchange for our services, we ask a small favor."

Jacob noticed the boy who'd picked his pocket earlier and threw his arms out in protest.

"Well, why not. You seem to have taken most of my money. Why not take a small favor, too?"

Evie held Jacob back with one hand outstretched, while Artemis waved to the boy who'd picked his pocket. The boy threw a small cloth bag filled with coins at her and she easily caught it. Shoving the bag into Jacob's stomach, she quipped.

"You'll find that you get a lot farther when you respect people and are polite, Mr. Frye."

He narrowed his eyes at her, but placed the coins back into his pocket. Clara ignored him and continued.

"There are several factories about the city that are powered almost entirely by child labor. Those children work long hours, with little pay and most are not permitted even to leave the factory ground. They suffer terribly. Artemis has been working to free them, but there are too many for her to free alone. I need you to help her save them."

"A small favor?"

Jacob's annoyed question earned him another arm block from Evie and an elbow to the rib from Artemis. "In return, we offer you intelligence, something YOU clearly need."  
Artemis made a mental note to praise Clara for her perfect retort to Jacob. Such brilliance needed to be rewarded.

"Now hold on a minute-!"

Before Jacob could protest, Clara turned to Evie, sensing what Artemis had: Evie was the one who had the brains in the family.

"I'm late for an appointment. What of these terms?"

"We accept."

With a spit shake, the deal was made. Jacob looked none too pleased about the arrangement, but Artemis would appreciate the help. Clara was not lying when she said that Artemis had been stretched too thin. Especially since there were other things she needed to focus on as well.

"Shall we continue to our next ally?"

Jacob nodded, but he didn't seem pleased with the arrangement that had just been agreed upon. Was he always this taciturn? Artemis wasn't certain, given that she'd only just met him, but she hoped that the mischievous smiles he'd given her were an indication that he wasn't as surly as he'd just been. Evie, on the other hand, was most pleased with Clara's operation.

"I think they will be a valuable resource indeed. Well done, Miss Fayne."

Artemis grinned widely. Evie praised her for her resourcefulness, but she had a soft spot for the children of the city. It wasn't that long ago that she was living among them.  
"Thank you, Miss Frye. You don't need to continue with the formalities if you wish. You may call me Artemis."

Evie nodded and suggested that Artemis do the same for her. Jacob had been strangely silent up until this point, and as they approached the carriage, he broke his silence.  
"So, Artie, who are we off to see now?"

Artemis glared at Jacob, who flashed a dazzling smile at her. She didn't respond to the nickname, knowing that he would get more pleasure out of annoying her if he knew it bothered her.

"We're off to see Frederick Abberline. I'm sure you'll find him most interesting."

Jacob eyed her skeptically, as if he sensed that she wasn't telling them everything about Abbey. She gently clapped the reins and guided the horse along the narrow streets. Normally she would have been more content to leap from building to building, but since she was essentially giving the twins a tour of Whitechapel, she figured that a carriage ride around the borough was necessary. Plus, there was no guarantee that the twins could keep up with her. Though, if one of them could, it would be Evie.  
"So are you finding London more exciting than Crawley, Mr. Frye?"

"Jacob. And so far it's been quite dull, apart from beating those Blighters earlier. I'd like to get started on taking over."

"Haven't you ever heard that patience is a virtue?"

"Well those who know me wouldn't exactly call me virtuous, Artie."

He flashed her the devilish smile again and winked at her. Artemis raised an eyebrow at his suggestive comment, but didn't respond to it. Evie, on the other hand, felt free to.

"He's right. Jacob lacks many virtues and patience is the most important one. He'd rather go in without a plan and blow something up instead of carefully and patiently figuring out the solution that causes the least amount of fallout."

Jacob didn't seem to mind Evie's comments, nor see the concern in them. Artemis hopes that he wouldn't cause her too much trouble. Though if he did, she could always slash his throat. At least she had that as an alternative.

Though she hadn't noticed a small smile creep across her face, Jacob had.

"Thinking of someone in particular, Artie? Is it me?"

Artemis wasn't surprised by his flirtation in the least. He wasn't the first man to try and win her over with honeyed words, and he probably wouldn't be the last.  
"Actually, I was just thinking about how nice it would be to slash your throat if you cause too much chaos in my city."

Jacob jerked slightly in surprise, but he continued to grin stupidly at her. She grit her teeth in annoyance, and clapped the reins a little harder so that they reached their destination faster.

"Don't worry, Artie. You'll learn to love me."

Artemis scoffed, and sent him a glacial glare. Thankfully, they'd reached their destination, and she hopped out of the carriage as quickly as she could. If all the Frye twins wanted to do was flirt while they were in London, she'd be better off without the both of them. Henry might appreciate Evie's company, but as far as Artemis was concerned, Jacob needed to keep his distance.

She led the twins down the narrow alleyway that opened into a small grotto where she and Abbey always met. The twins looked around for the inspector, but Artemis knew that he would show up unexpectedly, wearing some sort of ridiculous disguise.

"I don't see Mr. Abberline."

"Well, we tried."

Artemis was surprised that Jacob was so quick to give up on awaiting for Abberline. Patience truly was not a virtue to him. Out of the corner of her eyes then noticed movement, of a frail, hunchbacked old woman. Hello, Abbey. Out of the woman's mouth came a strangely high-pitched voice., which cracked and broke as it rose.

"Pst. I may know a thing or two about that splendid fellow you're talking about."

Jacob walked closer to Abbey and grabbed the lady's cap off of his head.

"What's this?"

Abbey was understandably upset and grabbed his hat back from Jacob.

"God's sake! Are you trying to blow the gaff? Miss, don't your friends have any manners?"

Artemis shrugged while Jacob looked thoroughly disgusted.

"Frederick Abberline, at your service. I presume you're the Frye twins Green mentioned."

Jacob and Evie drew closer to Abbey, as if they were in his confidence. Jacob still had an incredulous look on his face as he spoke to Abbey.

"I was expecting you to be a policeman."

"I was expecting YOU to be discreet."

He had Jacob, there. Evie tried to smooth things over, being the more rational one of the two of them.

"Henry Green said you could help us go unnoticed."

Abberline looked around to make sure no one would hear him.

"This is how it will work. The same deal I made with Miss Fayne will apply to you as well. I will give you the names of criminal gang members, you will bring them back to me. Quietly."

Ever sarcastic, Jacob had to ruffle Abbey's feathers one more time.

"Oh, we'll be as quiet as an old lady. A very hairy, strange old lady that looks a lot like a policeman."

Abbey didn't say another word to Jacob, but he pressed his cap onto his head and nodded at Artemis before leaving. Jacob gestured to Abbey's retreating figure and shook his head. Evie did the same. As strange as his customs were, Artemis knew that keeping Abbey on their side guaranteed that they would be able to roam freely without too much police interference.

"You certainly have some strange friends, Artie."

"You'll learn to love them. Besides, you haven't met all of them yet. Just wait until you meet Aleck."

Jacob opened his mouth to ask about who Aleck was, but Evie interrupted him.

"Perhaps we should begin planning and executing how we are going to take down Kaylock. If he's after Mr. Green, he should be our first priority."

Jacob and Artemis shared a knowing glance, which pleased Jacob more than it did Artemis, but both nodded in agreement with Evie. Artemis herself had been waiting for the moment she could take him down. And now that she had the Frye twins, she could almost taste it. She motioned down the alleyway, toward where she had left the carriage.

"Shall we?"

* * *

Author's Thoughts:  
Whew! I've been dying to get this finished. It's an escaped plot bunny that actually turned into something! I really love playing Assassin's Creed Syndicate, especially as Evie, a bad-ass female assassin, and I wanted to make another strong woman for Jacob to fight with. I hope you enjoy this little creation!


	2. Chapter 2: Hitching A Ride

Chapter 2: Hitching A Ride

"Henry, I think that it would be best if I went in alone."

Artemis had an urge to pout like she used to do when she was younger, but the look on Henry's face meant that none of her childish tricks were going to work. She wasn't sure why Henry was punishing her, but it probably had something to do with the cold reception she'd given Jacob when they'd first met, and the way she'd been avoiding him since they'd returned to the curio shop and begun planning their assault on the Templar strongholds in Whitechapel.

"I know you're used to doing things on your own, Mis, but if you have help, you'll be able to accomplish more. And more efficiently, too."

"Why isn't Evie able to accompany me?"

Henry sighed, something that was becoming more common as of late, and shook his head at her suggestion.

"Miss Frye is looking into my research on the precursor objects right now. She said that when she was finished, she would be able to assist you with some of your objectives. But until then...Mr. Frye needs something to occupy himself with."

Artemis crossed her arms, huffing slightly. Jacob had been driving everyone crazy with his insistence that they immediately storm the stronghold that occasionally held Kaylock, despite Artemis' repeated reminders that Kaylock was rarely found outside of his train, and only after they'd shut down his operations within Whitechapel would he be forced to show himself and confront them.

"Artie!"

Jacob's voice called down the stairway, and Artemis twitched in annoyance.

"Are you ready to go free some urchins?"

Henry gave Artemis a smile and and encouraging 'chin up' gesture before disappearing toward the back of his shop where Evie was pouring through his collection of research. Artemis sent him a rude gesture after his back was turned. Unfortunately Jacob happened to catch her in the act.

"Artie! Such unladylike behavior! I'm shocked, I truly am."

Artemis stormed out of the curio shop before he could say another word, tempted to repeat the gesture at him.

"Artie, don't be mad. I'm just trying to protect your delicate ladylike reputation."

As he spoke the words, he began to laugh at his own joke. Artemis shook her head before turning on her heel to face him.

"Oh, you should know by now that I'm no lady, Mr. Frye. And you'd be wise to remember it before you end up on the wrong end of my kukri."

Though she had put as much venom in her words as she could, and as much of a scowl on her face as she was capable, Jacob began laughing at her.

"Sorry, Artie. But it's hard to take you seriously when you threaten me. You're quite fetching when you're upset with me."

Though she hid it well, Artemis was taken aback by his response. Most men who'd taken a fancy to her backed off when she threatened to stab them. Perhaps it was because Jacob was not threatened by her. Well, she'd have to show him exactly what she was capable of on their current mission.

As the factory was a fair distance from the curio shop, Artemis took a carriage that was waiting nearby. She was certain that the owners wouldn't miss it too much while she borrowed it.

Jacob hopped into the seat next to her, and she found herself wishing that the bench was wider. Whenever the carriage took a turn too sharply, he bumped into her. Part of her wondered if it was purposefully done, but Jacob didn't appear to be sliding closer except whenever there was a turn.

"Remind me to teach you how to drive properly, Mr. Frye. From what I saw when I was following you, you almost hit a few pedestrians."

"Challenge accepted, Artie. You'll teach me how to drive and I'll teach you how to fight."

"Hmph! I don't really need your help in that regard, Mr. Frye."

"From the looks of you, I think that even Evie could outmatch you."

It was true that Evie had two inches on her, but what Artemis lacked in height she more than made up for in toughness. And she'd show Jacob a thing or two if he tried to mess with her.

"Well, I guess we shall have to wait and see, then, won't we?"

"Indeed we shall."

Jacob sent her a lopsided grin, which she returned with a bemused smirk. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face when she showed him what she was truly capable of.

They quickly reached the factory, and Artemis tied the horse to a post a short distance away from it. She pulled her hood up over her head, and motioned for Jacob to do the same. He looked better without the newsboy cap he usually wore. Now he looked less like a homeless person.

As they crept closer to the factory, Artemis engaged her Eagle vision to identify how many Blighters were around. There were quite a few of them, unfortunately. Perhaps Henry had been right about her needing the help.

Jacob stood up and began to rush toward the entrance when Artemis pulled him back against the wall, slamming his body into hers. His eyes widened in surprise, and Artemis put a finger to her mouth.

"Shh. We need to sneak our way in. They have an alarm bell. If they notice us, they'll call for reinforcements, or worse, they'll hurt the children. We can't just barge right in there."

"Well, then, what do you propose we do? Pick them off one at a time?"

He tapped his foot impatiently and Artemis shook her head at him.

"You take the lower level Blighters. Be quiet about it, too. Once you get close enough, sabotage that alarm. I'll climb to the upper level and take out the rest."

Jacob nodded and crouched low again.

"If you need me Artie, just call my name."

Hmph! As if she'd need his help. She'd gotten along just fine without him on numerous occasions. But she'd have to remember to make sure he didn't get himself ambushed. If he charged in without paying attention, they could easily catch him off guard. She shook her head to clear her head of worrying about Jacob. She needed to focus on the task at hand.

As she easily climbed the tall brick building, she listened for sounds of movement in the building. She reached the top of the building and looked over the edge, noticing a Blighter lookout standing on an exposed ledge. Artemis jumped from where she was on the rooftop and easily dispatched the lookout. She crept toward an open archway and peered inside, noticing a Blighter pacing nearby. She let out a sharp whistle to draw the man closer to her.

"What the bloody hell was that? You better not be playing a trick!"

The man had pulled out a club, but Artemis stabbed him in the neck with her hidden blade and threw his body over her shoulder. One down, fourteen to go. But, as she crept around the corner and checked for other Blighters, Artemis heard a few grunts and some shuffling and knew that Jacob was taking some of them out for her.

She continued toward the group of children she'd spied when she looked with her Eagle Vision.

"Work harder, you slags! Don't make me use this whip on you! Remember what happened to little Johnny Piper?"

Artemis heard a few whimpers and felt her blood boil. The children were huddled near dangerous looms, forced to work at a pace which only increased the danger. She crept up behind a stack of cotton bales and carefully glanced around the corner at the Blighter who was pacing near the children, taunting at them with a whip. She carefully edged around the stack, waiting until the woman's back was turned to pull her close around the corner and twist her neck. She pulled the body away from where the children could see and quietly crept closer to them, whispering as she looked around for other Blighters.

"I'll be back when the others are dead. We're here to free you."

"Are you with Clara, Miss?"

"Yes, stay hidden until you get my signal."

The children grinned at her and stepped back from the looms. They looked proper relieved to be rid of both the loom and their overlord.

Satisfied with the small group that she'd freed, Artemis checked on Jacob's status. He was carefully approaching the Blighter who was guarding the bell.

As he made his move to assassinate the guard, Artemis noticed two more Blighters walking up behind him.

She silently cursed and threw herself over the railing that surrounded the open space of the factory floors. She quickly dropped from each floor until she landed behind Jacob. As he grabbed the guard, she took aim at the Blighter in front of her.

The man was not lucky enough to miss her fist entirely, but he managed to lessen the impact by dodging the full brunt of it upon his nasal cavity. He quickly rebounded and attempted to strike her, but she moved like water and easily outmaneuvered him. She hit him once more in this sternum, and he began to reach for his gun. Before his hand had rested on the handle, however, Artemis had withdrawn her kukri and stabbed straight through his chest cavity.

The Blighter who had followed him was momentarily stunned at what had happened, and Artemis took the opportunity to quickly silence him, as well. When she turned around, wiping her kukri off with a scrap piece of fabric, Jacob was looking at her intently, scarred eyebrow arched. Amazingly enough, he looked impressed.

Artemis scowled at him, annoyed that she'd had to save him.

"This is the second time since we've met that I've saved your life, Mr. Frye. Don't make it a habit."

"It's sweet that you're concerned about me, Artie. But I was fine on my own. Besides, I got you a present."

He dangled the metal clapper of the alarm bell in her face, which only made her scowl deepen.

She snatched the clapper out of his hand, ignoring his amused smirk, and tossed it to the side.

"Follow me. And try not to get yourself killed."

"Lead on, then."

The pair crept up the stairwell, listening for sounds of footsteps. Jacob kept close to her, almost too close.

As she looked around a corner, she could feel his warm breath on her neck. She narrowed her eyes in irritation, but chose to ignore him. Working with a partner would definitely take some getting used to.

Artemis and Jacob crept along the edge of the railing, looking around a corner for the Blighters who were supervising another group of children. One of them was holding a whip, which he used to "encourage" the children to work faster.

Jacob moved to attack the Blighter directly, but Artemis held her finger up to her mouth, gesturing toward the two stacks that separated them from the Blighters. They could easily sneak around and ambush both if they worked as a team.

Jacob seemed to understand what she meant, and he seemed more than pleased to give these Blighters exactly what they deserved.

The two assassins seemed to appear from thin air, and just as quickly, they had disposed of the Blighters, working back to back.

Artemis was impressed with his quick reflexes and his efficiency in taking care of the Blighter. He seemed to approve of her as well, giving her a nod in appreciation. They smiled at each other before the sound of small feet shuffling took their attention.

"Just keep quiet for now, children. When we've taken care of the foreman and the others, you'll be free of this place."

The tallest girl pushed forward and nodded at the pair of them.

"I'll watch over them, miss. We'll be waiting for your return."

Artemis gave a quick nod and tipped her head toward Jacob, who was waiting patiently for her direction. Would wonders never cease?

She turned away and glanced at the upper floors. There was a group of five Blighters gathered in the main office area, which also held the foreman. The other four Blighters were supervising the last group of children.

Jacob seemed to have noticed the large group as well. A surprise attack seemed to be the best option, but should they attack in unison, or launch two sporadic attacks? Artemis pursed her lips as she considered the options.

"If you ask my opinion, I'm in favor of a dual attack. It seemed to work well for us the last time."

Jacob was the first to speak up, but Artemis was glad of it. If they both thought that a unified effort would work best, they needed to be on the same page.

"For once, we agree. Any other attack would leave us vulnerable. Attacking together will grant a measure of protection."

Jacob had the ghost of a grin on his face, but he maintained the pensive expression. Clearly, he had been pleased that she'd agreed with him. Not that Artemis blamed him. She wasn't exactly easy to please, and she hardly agreed with anyone's opinion, save her own.

She didn't say anything else, but rather began slinking up the stairs, making only the slightest whisper of noise as she ascended.

She and Jacob crept closer to the office door, hands resting on their respective weapons. She gave Jacob the signal before pulling the pin on a smoke bomb.

Jacob turned the handle of the door and kicked it open as Artemis threw the bomb directly into the center of the room.

Chaos erupted in the room, and the pair took every advantage. In no time at all, they'd cleared the room of every Blighter, save the foreman. The fear in his eyes was palpable as the room cleared and his companions bodies were scattered around.

Artemis winked at Jacob and threw her kukri across the room, pinning the man to the door. He struggled against the hold of the blade, clutching at his injured shoulder.

"Mr. Frye, will you do the honors?"

"My pleasure."

With spectacular aim, Jacob finished off the foreman with his cane-sword. The handle vibrated as the force dispersed between the blade and the wood of the door.

Artemis yanked both her blade and Jacob's from the body, finally allowing it to fall to the floor in a heap.

"Let's finish this."

She had barely spoken those words before the sheer thrill of the mission overtook her, and she practically darted out of the room, stealth be damned. They'd taken out a room full of Blighters with ease, why should four of them be any trouble?

The Blighters overseeing the children heard her footsteps almost immediately, and two of them were sent to investigate the noise.

She dealt with the first easily, barely coming to a stop before plunging her blade into the second Blighter. Jacob wasn't far behind her, and he waited for her to pull her knife from the second Blighter before he nodded toward the doorway which held the last two.

Artemis slid along the floor, throwing her arm out to sweep the legs out from the Blighter closest to the doorway. As the man began to fall, Jacob thrust his blade into his throat.

The final Blighter held her hands up in surrender, pleading with the pair.

"I knows who you is, Miss. I had no choice, I did. Have mercy."

Jacob readied his weapon, unwilling to spare the woman, but Artemis' signal caused him to pause.

She walked closer to the Blighter, weapon drawn.

"I have some questions I need answered. If I'm satisfied with your responses I will not only let you live, but I will let you join the Clinkers. If I don't like the answers I receive, or am shown the slightest hint that you'll betray us, you'll be wishing that I killed you quickly."

Jacob watched her carefully, unsure of what she was doing. Artemis turned to the children, who were frozen at their stations.

"The others are waiting to hear from me. I need one of you to find them and have everyone meet by the alarm bell. We'll be there shortly."

The children nodded, appointing the oldest boy to gather the others, before carefully walking around the body of the male Blighter and out of sight.

The woman who'd been in charge of them was trembling, which was only amplified when Artemis turned back to face her.

"You may sit, if you wish."

The woman didn't need to be told twice. She melted to the floor, unable to stand up any longer.

Artemis leaned against the loom, which the children had turned off before leaving.

"Tell me about Kaylock."

"I don't know very much about Mr. Kaylock, Miss. 'E keeps to 'imself. I heard 'e visited awhile back. Was angry with me old boss. We never saw 'im again after that."

Just as Artemis had expected. He was well protected on his train, and was loathe to leave it.

"What about the Blighter operations here in Whitechapel? I have some locations mapped out, but it would help if I knew more of them."

The woman looked uncomfortable, unsure of whether or not she should tell Artemis anything.

"I don't want to hurt you. I think you're just about done with this sort of work. Why not join a gang who will make London a better place for everyone?"

"I'm just afraid of what 'e'll do to me family if I defect."

"We can protect them, much better than you can alone, anyway."

"Fine, I'll join your Clinkers. I need a map to tell ya the spots we stay at."

Artemis nodded, offering the woman a hand. Jacob still seemed unsure of her, blade pointed in her direction. Artemis was hopeful, but she too was cautious of betrayal.

The woman walked with them to where the children had gathered. They seemed surprised to find their former captor in one piece, and a few children whimpered when they saw her.

Artemis opened the factory door and let the sunshine and the air inside. She gathered a stack of straw and placed it in the open air outside in the factory grounds.

She lit a flame and placed a specially designed paper onto the stack of straw before lighting everything on fire. Bright green smoke billowed from the pile, and Clinkers began to appear like bugs crawling out from the woodwork.

They gathered in front of Artemis, who motioned for the children, Jacob, and the woman to leave the factory.

"Welcome to our new factory, Clinkers. Some of these children need medical care. Those who are well enough are free to leave and find their families."

The children listened, cheering as she proclaimed that they were free. The Clinkers smiled at them as they skipped and laughed, running toward freedom. Artemis motioned at the woman, who was staring wide-eyed at the spectacle in front of her.

"This woman will be joining our cause. She needs some new attire and a place to stay in our quarters."

As a small welcoming party moved forward to take the woman back to their base, the woman burst forward and threw her arms around one of the Clinkers in the yard.

She kissed him fiercely, and her kiss was returned with great enthusiasm. Whistles were made and hats were thrown as the two lovers embraced.

"I thought you had died! I thought the Clinkers had killed you!"

"They recruited me, luv. I never got the chance to tell yeh. Is that why yeh joined the Blighters?"

"It doesn't matter. I 'ave you now."

The two lovers held each other, and Artemis gave a long, sharp whistle that drew everyone's attention.

"I'll have another introduction to make before too long, but in the meantime, this is Jacob Frye.

He and his sister Evie are joining our organization. He is to be treated as my equal, is that clear?"

Jacob had moved forward as Artemis introduced him, and he stood next to her, tall and proud. If he was surprised that she'd called him her equal he didn't show it. Instead, he surprised Artemis by speaking loudly for everyone to hear.

"Artemis and I are going to be making some changes. We are going to conquer this borough. We will take it from the Blighters. And we will call ourselves Rooks!"

Artemis spun in surprise and annoyance at his brashness. She hadn't expected him to follow through on the name change. He had a madman grin on his face, and she narrowed her eyes in anger. The cheek of the man! He'd done it on purpose so that she'd be forced to keep the name change to save face.

There were a few faces in the crowd who didn't seem too keen on the name change, but a roar of approval swelled forward despite them. Artemis needed to remind Jacob who was in charge, and fast, before he took her organization out from under her.

No amount of teamwork was going to make her forgive him for that.

"Rooks, to your orders! Wait for our next signal-these Blighters cannot keep this borough forever!"

The gang members scattered at her words, hastening to their specific roles in the organization. Jacob sent her a sideways glance, his smile still bright.

"I think these Rooks will do just fine, Artie. We'll make a proper gang of them before too long."

Rather than respond to him, Artemis began to walk toward the carriage they'd arrived in. Jacob followed closely behind, unusually quiet. As Artemis clipped the reins, he opened his mouth hesitantly.

"Don't be mad, Artie. It's just a name. What did that old geezer bard used to say? 'That which we call a rose by any other word would be as sweet?"

"Did you really just call Shakespeare an old geezer?"

"Yes, I did. But it proved my point didn't it?"

"I'm surprised you even know who he is, let alone that you quoted him."

"I'm full of surprises, Artie."

He winked suggestively at her, and she pulled the horse sharply to one side so that he would lose his balance. He flailed slightly as he attempted to regain his balance, and Artemis bit back a smirk.

"Perhaps it would be better if I took over the driving, Artie. I'd rather not be introduced to the cobblestone streets today."

"Not a chance, Mr. Frye. Besides, you don't even know where we're going."

"Well, I'd feel better if I knew you weren't going to try and fling me out of the carriage whenever the mood strikes you. Where are we going, now that you mention it?"

"We're going to check on our ride."

Jacob cocked his head in confusion, and Artemis found it amusing that she knew where they were headed and he had no idea. She turned a few more corners before she pulled up to the train station. She tied the horse to a nearby post and slowly walked toward the station. It was a little strange to be returning to the station with Jacob, who had been her target merely a few days ago.

They neared the entrance of the station, and Artemis pulled her hood up. She crept along the outside edge of the wall, finding her hand-hold easily. She climbed effortlessly, and soon was walking along the support beams that crisscrossed the ceiling of the station. She crouched low, waiting for the train's whistle. It was a little later than normal, but Artemis didn't mind.

Jacob soon joined her on the beam, whistling softly to himself.

"This is quite a view, Artie. Come here often?"

"I have lately."

Jacob's eyes flashed in recognition, and he nudged her slightly with his elbow.

"So that's when you started following us. You were on our tail the second we stepped off of the train."

"Truly, I was on your tail even before you arrived in London. I heard from a reliable source that an unusual pair of passengers was set to arrive."

"Clever. I still can't believe that neither of us noticed you."

"I'm good at not being noticed, Mr. Frye. Especially when I don't want someone to notice."

Jacob opened his mouth to make a sarcastic remark, but was interrupted by a loud whistle. Artemis watched the train pull in and Blighters spill out of it like water. She kept her eye on the first car on the train. Kaylock's car.

As a flurry of boxes were unloaded, while others were put into position to be loaded, Artemis focused her attention on the main car. She knew Kaylock was there. All she needed to do was wait for him to leave the train unprotected by his entourage. He was a slippery one, that's for sure.

As the hustle and bustle of activity continued, she could feel Jacob growing restless beside her. She could feel the same restlessness building inside of herself. When would Kaylock make his appearance so that they could end this in the simplest way possible?

As the minutes dragged on, Artemis found her gaze wandered to the boxes being loaded and unloaded. New supplies, such as food, ammunition, and coal were added in abundance. Those boxes were precious cargo, as they made Kaylock's entire operation possible. He was safe on the rails, with his moving base of operations. It made him nearly impossible to track down. Nearly.

This particular little ritual was one that Artemis had caught onto after a few weeks of tailing Kaylock's train. This time, however was different. It was as if someone had tipped Kaylock off. He hadn't left his train to inspect the supplies. It usually wasn't a long inspection, but it was his

routine.

And today he hadn't done it.

The train conductor was starting his usual procedures to start the engines, and Artemis began to feel uneasy. Where was Kaylock?

Sure enough, the train began to puff black smoke from its stack and the wheels groaned to life.

Artemis and Jacob watched the train pull out from the station, disappointment oozing into their bones.

But before the pair lost sight of the lead car, a hand was thrust from an open window. It began to wave, and Artemis felt her blood boil. He'd made a fool of them.

"So, what's so special about that train, Artie?"

Artemis turned to Jacob, eyes burning with rage.

"I'll tell you what's special about that train, Jacob. Soon, it's going to be ours."

Authors Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed or read my little story! I've been working hard on both this one and my iZombie fic. Life seems to go by super fast and I never get a chance to slow it down and write faster! Happy reading! I'll get back to work!

Special thanks to:

Modern Age: Thanks for your input. I mostly work on this during my very short lunch break. I have to use my phone, and sometimes when I switch back to my laptop the format is a little wonky. I'll try to be on the lookout for that. Thank you for your review!

Hoqwaarts: Thank you for your review! I hope you like the next chapter!

January Lily: As always, thank you for being a wonderful friend! Even if you know nothing about AC, I appreciate you taking the time to read my little story. Keep up the good work on your own fics! 3

Wayward Jules: Thank you for your review!

Nixdragon: You are my hero too, friend! Thanks for being there and supporting me! 3


	3. Chapter 3: A Long Time Coming

Chapter 3: A Long Time Coming

"So, let me get this straight. We've been waiting for weeks now, and all we're going to do is have a

?"

Artemis shot Jacob a venomous glare. Waiting? He'd made it sound like all the work they'd accomplished in the last few weeks had been for nothing.

"I'd hardly call liberating children, claiming factories, and collecting bounties 'waiting,' Jacob. We've done more in these last few weeks than I thought possible. We control over half of the borough."

"True, but we've barely scratched the surface. We haven't managed to kill any Templars yet, and Kaylock is still nowhere to be found, save sending a note asking us to meet."

"You need to learn some patience. I already have a plan to eliminate our Templar targets, and our meeting with Kaylock will end in his death."

"Why do we need to meet with him at all?"

"This is how gang etiquette works. A civil discussion before a brutal fight. If one side concedes, it prevents piles of bodies in the streets."

Jacob shook his head, annoyed at her response.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just have a gang war and take them by force?"

"Perhaps, but far less civilized."

Jacob crossed his arms before sitting next to Artemis on the chaise. He had begun sitting next to her whenever they were in Henry's drawing room. At first, Artemis had been annoyed that he chose to sit next to her when there were plenty of other spaces available, but had since grown accustomed to his closeness. Their teamwork during the last few weeks had certainly helped in that regard.

"Ah. There you are. I was hoping you'd still be here and not off somewhere."

Henry poked his head into the room, showing no surprise at the two assassins lazing about on the furniture. Artemis stood, certain that Henry would send them off on some sort of mission, but Jacob laid down across the length of the chaise, placing his feet where Artemis had been sitting. She glared at him and pushed his feet back off of it, and sighed when he returned them.

"Did you need something, Henry?"

"Yes. It's about one of the Templars. I just received word of an important delivery that he is supposed to be overseeing. He's been very hard to pinpoint as of late, so I thought that maybe you could…"

"We'll get him."

"We?"

Artemis smacked Jacob's head at his protest, and smiled at Henry, who was watching their interaction with narrowed eyes.

"Ignore him. We will be happy to take care of him for you, brother."

Henry turned his gaze to Jacob, still unsure of his willingness to go with Artemis. Jacob groaned and pulled himself off of the chaise and stood next to Artemis, cracking his knuckles.

"So who's the bloke we're offing, Greenie?"

"Didn't you read the notes Henry wrote?"

The look Jacob sent her made it clear that he thought her foolish for asking such a question. Artemis rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the side.

"We're 'offing' Harold Drake. He's been distributing explosives in this borough. We need to eliminate him. And quickly."

At the mention of explosives, Jacob's eyes widened. Perhaps the seriousness of the situation finally reached him.

Artemis had been watching Jacob intently, and hadn't noticed Henry staring at her until he cleared his throat. She turned her attention back to him, unsure of what else he wanted to say. He looked at both of them before responding.

"I'll leave you both to it. Good luck. And be careful."

"I know how to handle myself, Greenie. And I'll look out for Artie."

"I hardly need your assistance, Jacob. I'll be the one making sure you don't get killed."

They grinned at each other, their back and forth banter becoming a typical occurrence. Henry shook his head at both of them before exiting the room. Jacob smirked at Artemis before motioning to where Henry had just stood.

"I get the sneaking suspicion that Greenie doesn't like me much."

"Perhaps if you weren't so obstinate…"

Jacob threw his hands up in mock protest.

"Me? Obstinate? I would never…"

Artemis and Jacob both laughed, and Artemis felt the warm tingling in her stomach that, up until recently, she hadn't felt before. Was this what friendship was? She'd only had Henry growing up, and he'd been more of a mentor and less of a friend.

Jacob was different. He teased her, placed bets with her, and challenged her to become better.

Artemis had been under the assumption that she would have spent more time with Evie, given that they were around the same age and were both female, but Jacob's twin was too caught up in chasing the precursor artifacts to have truly spent any time with Artemis.

Regardless, Artemis was enjoying her newfound friendship, laughing more than she had in her entire life.

Though, to be fair, she was also more irritated than she'd been in her life. For as often as she felt a sense of kinship with Jacob, she wanted to stab him equally as much. He always managed to find the one subject which annoyed her and bring it up on purpose.

Artemis gathered her weapons and readied herself for the mission. She hoped that they would be able to find Harold without too many innocent bystanders getting hurt. The Templars had wisely selected a public venue, sure to be crawling with innocents. The perfect place to hide a crime.

Jacob was waiting for her by the time she was fully prepared. Evie had taken a break from her reading to send them off, and she was eyeing Jacob rather oddly. When she noticed Artemis, she treated her in much the same way. Artemis, never one to shy away from confrontation, decided to address Evie's staring.

"Did I put my corset on the outside again? Oh, I do so hate when that happens."

Jacob snorted at her sarcasm, but Evie took her seriously.

"No, I'm not sure what you mean."

Jacob interjected before Artemis had the chance.

"She was being facetious, dear sister. Merely a result of your curious stares."

Evie rubbed her eyes briefly before yawning. It was clear she was wearing herself thin in her investigation.

"Sorry. It's been a long while since I've seen both of you. I might need a break before too long."

Artemis considered offering to have Evie join them in their assassination of Harold Drake, but Jacob sent her a knowing glance which gave her pause.

"We'll bring you on the next one, Evie. For now, get some rest and get yourself into fighting shape."

Evie nodded and instead of returning to the back room, headed up the stairs toward the room she was staying in. Jacob let out the breath Artemis hadn't realized he'd been holding, and whispered quietly in her ear.

"Let's go before she changes her mind. Big sister needs to rest before she accidentally stabs one of us."

He was smirking when Artemis turned to look at him, and he waved his hands dramatically, pointing toward the entryway.

"Shall we, milady?"

Artemis ignored him and walked out to the front where Henry's carriage was waiting. Since Artemis and Jacob had begun their assault on Kaylock's operations, the threat against Henry had died down. Besides, with Evie there to protect him, Artemis didn't fear for his safety.

She gave Henry's horse a gentle pat and hopped into the driver's seat. Jacob sat next to her on the bench, attempting to grab the reins from her. At her protest, he leaned in closely and flicked them out of her grasp.

"I know full well where the market is, Artie. Didn't you say that you wanted me to learn how to drive properly?"

"Well, yes...but—"

"Then let me drive now and then. You'll see my driving is much improved when I'm not being chased by Blighters."

She jutted out her bottom lip in annoyance, but acquiesced to his request. As he drove, he whistled a tune that she'd never heard before. It seemed too cheerful, considering what they were about to do.

True to his word, Jacob's driving was much improved when he wasn't being chased by Blighters. Artemis chided herself for being rather pigheaded in her assumptions about the twins. She knew full well that her greatest flaw was her distrustful nature. But she had her reasons.

She studied Jacob as she had when she first met him, but this time with the eyes of a friend. He was certainly a little arrogant himself, and he was too flippant in regards to the missions and what needed to be done.

However, he was kind, and his happy-go-lucky personality definitely brought some much needed cheerfulness to her life. This was to say nothing of his skills. He was quite the fighter, and he'd more than helped Artemis on their missions. He also had a head for quick thinking.

And, Artemis thought with a begrudging smirk, it didn't hurt that he was pleasing to the eye. His blue eyes were especially fetching when he was teasing her.

She felt an unusual warmth on her cheeks and mentally kicked herself for growing embarrassed. She was merely observing a fact. So why did she feel so strange whenever she observed him for too long?

Jacob seemed to notice her staring, and he raised his eyebrows at her in confusion.

"Don't tell me you've caught whatever Evie has. It's not like you to stare at me for so long without criticizing my attire."

Though she knew she'd been caught, Artemis tried to play it cool.

"Well, if I don't carefully observe, how else am I supposed to know which part of your ridiculous outfit to critique?"

"I guess we'll never know. But if you're so concerned, you can always use your feminine talents to sew me a new outfit."

Despite the fact that he was driving, Artemis whacked him upside his head. Of all the nerve! Suggesting that she knew how to sew simply because she was a woman. She knew nothing of the sort, given that she was raised by men.

"I'll take you to my tailor. I'm sure he can make you a suitable suit."

"With ribbons and bows?"

"Yes, and plenty of lace for your dainty features."

Artemis pictured Jacob head to toe in a lace dress complete with a bonnet and couldn't help but laugh. He must have been picturing it himself, because he soon joined her, his baritone joining her alto.

They soon reached the market, and Jacob stopped the carriage quite far from it. He hitched the horse and surprised Artemis by taking her arm in his. She moved to pull her hand away from him, but he plastered on a fake smile and pulled her toward the market.

"We're a lovely young couple out for a stroll. Perfect camouflage."

Artemis couldn't resist cracking a joke at his expense.

"No one would believe that a lady like me would be willingly courting a tramp off the street. They'll probably think you're kidnapping me."

Jacob huffed at her comment, but pulled her closer.

"Either way, they'll clear us a path, darling."

Artemis shook her head and followed his lead. There were Blighters everywhere, carrying crates of dynamite. Artemis noted that many of them didn't seem pleased to be carrying such volatile packages. She and Jacob walked slowly, trying to blend in with the crowds of men and women who were milling in and out of the market looking for produce to buy.

As they slipped past the Blighters guarding the entrance, Jacob grabbed her side and gently led her behind several tall stacks of crates. Artemis watched to make sure that no one had followed them before pulling her hood over her head. Jacob removed his newsboy cap and did the same. When the gang started gaining more profits, that hat would be the first thing to go. Artemis would make sure of it.

Artemis nodded at Jacob before climbing the back wall of the building. As soon as she reached one of the metal support beams, she pulled herself up and carefully walked across. She needed a better view of their target.

She scanned the room, looking for the man who matched Henry's sketch, and found him almost instantly. He had a templar cross pinned to his lapel, and was barking orders at a few of the Blighters. Artemis looked down where Jacob was hiding and nodded in his direction.

She crept along the beam, growing closer to her target. It was no easy task, as Drake kept moving about, going from Blighter to Blighter until he drew close to one woman in particular, who was wearing a similar ensemble to him. She seemed to be his second in command.

"How many more crates do we have left to distribute?"

"Only about a dozen, sir."

"Excellent. Soon all of London's Blighters will be armed to the teeth."

He moved to walk away from her, but paused and turned back around.

"And the police…?'

"No bobbies in sight."

"Good. Distribute the dynamite then, and carefully."

"Very good, sir."

"We want this to come into the Blighter's hands. No mishaps."

His last words were mildly threatening in tone, and as he walked away, the woman shivered. Artemis scanned the area, noticing a stack of crates with the remaining dynamite.

Artemis looked down to Jacob, who she hoped had been listening as well. He nodded at her, confirming what she'd hoped, and Artemis noticed a body lying behind him.

At least he'd only been discovered by one Blighter. Artemis motioned for him to join her, and as he climbed, she formulated a plan.

She didn't want to cause a ruckus that would draw attention to them, so shooting him was not an option.

Then there was the problem of the dynamite itself, merely eliminating Drake wouldn't stop the flood of dangerous munitions from circulating in the borough.

If she could find a way to get rid of both Drake and the dynamite...But that's it! If they waited until he was close enough to the crates, she could have Jacob light the flame and then move out of the way. She just needed to make sure there weren't any passers by.

As Jacob joined her on the beam, she moved quickly to meet him, quietly laying out her entire plan.

"That may be a little risky, but I like your style, Artie. I do so enjoy causing a few explosions. But what of the other dynamite that's already been distributed?"

Artemis pondered for a moment, biting her bottom lip as she did. Jacob watched her carefully, waiting patiently for her idea.

"Surely the distribution list would be with the woman who is supervising it. Perhaps one of us could pick her pocket."

"I'll leave you to it to provide a distraction. I'll be waiting behind the dynamite. Don't be too long."

With that, Jacob carefully jumped onto one of the taller stacks and disappeared behind the stacks of dynamite. Artemis crept closer to the woman who was in charge of the distribution. She pulled a small coin from her pocket and threw it behind the stacks.

The woman's head shot up at the sound, and she walked around the corner into the trap Jacob had set for her. Artemis watched as he placed the woman's body on the ground, lifting the plans in a slight wave to Artemis. He pocketed the plans and resumed his position near the crates.

Harold, noticing that his supervisor was nowhere to be seen, began to walk closer to the crates. Artemis waited until he was close enough and signaled Jacob to light the fuse.

Jacob quickly ran and ducked behind a display of carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and lettuce.

Harold was not so lucky. As soon as he stood next to the crates, leaning closer to where his supervisor last stood, the first crate exploded, triggering the reaction of the rest of the crates.

The force of the explosion knocked Artemis from her perch, and she flailed before grabbing a hold of the beam she'd been sitting on only moments ago. She carefully let herself fall into the rubble, and stumbled as she fell. Jacob was beside her almost instantly, picking her up as though she'd been a passerby caught in the shrapnel. He'd taken his hood off and replaced with the newsboy cap on his head.

The screaming had subsided, but the sheer volume of conversation hurt Artemis' already sensitive ears. She heard the loud calls of the police, and she meekly allowed Jacob to lead her out of the market, leaning heavily against him.

Once they were out of sight of the marketplace, she stood straight and turned to face Jacob, whose worried expression relaxed into a delighted grin.

"I think that went quite well, don't you?"

"I'll let you know when my ears stop ringing. I'd rather not use dynamite again unless we have to."

Jacob gave her a mock pout before nudging her gently.

"Don't take away all my fun, Artie."

She rolled her eyes at him, and moved to walk toward their carriage when Jacob spun her and pulled her in close, pushing her up against a wall.

She almost pushed him off, heart racing at the unexpected closeness and suddenness of the move, but his eyes warned her not to move. She felt the familiar fear seep into her bones, but she kept reminding herself that she was with Jacob, and he must have a reason for doing so.

She watched carefully over his shoulder as a pair of Blighters hurried to gather crates of dynamite and place them into a large wagon. Jacob breathed against her neck, pretending to move his lips against it. The heat sent chills down her spine.

"Are you up for a little heist, Artie? We can stop more dynamite from spreading if we take out that carriage."

"We'll have to be very careful. No guns."

"Fine. I'll drive and you ambush."

As quickly as he'd pulled her close, he pushed away from the wall and linked his arm with hers. They quickly walked to the carriage, seeing that the Blighters were almost finished packing it.

As the Blighter carriage raced away from the crime scene, Jacob spurred the horse to run after them. Artemis felt the adrenaline pulsing through her veins, and she gripped onto the edge of her seat in anticipation.

They drew closer to the carriage, and one of the Blighters noticed her. She sprang up from her seat and climbed onto the carriage roof. She took a deep breath before pulling a knife and steadying her hand, a feat made more challenging by the bumps in the road and Jacob's strategic swerving.

The Blighter who'd noticed her stood up and faced her, pistol trained on Jacob. Artemis gave him credit for his strategy, but calmed her nerves and sent the blade through his skull.

"Nice shot, Artie! I'll see if I can get you close enough to hijack the wagon. Then the Rooks'll have explosive power!"

Artemis did not necessarily agree with Jacob's idea of arming the Rooks with the dynamite, but if it kept it out of the Blighters' hands, then she supposed it would have to do.

She waited until Jacob was close enough to the wagon before taking another deep breath and leaping onto the side. She grunted slightly as the wooden sides knocked into her ribs, but soon began to climb toward the driver's seat.

The driver must have noticed his new passenger, and he swerved the wagon dangerously, aiming to sandwich her between Henry's carriage and the wagon.

Jacob's quick reflexes were her only saving grace. He almost effortlessly swerved the carriage away from the wagon, avoiding pedestrians who were nearby as well.

Artemis climbed higher, now safe from the driver's attempts to crush her. She saw him turn to shoot her with a gun, but his efforts were too little, too late.

She'd already brandished her kukri, its razor sharp blade easily sliding between his rib cage. Artemis kicked the driver's body off of the wagon and gripped onto the reins, pulling the overworked horses to a slower speed.

Jacob gave her a thumbs up and she drove the horses to the nearest Rook warehouse. The Rooks standing guard seemed surprised to see her arrive with such a large shipment of dynamite.

She handed over both the wagon and the distribution plans, instructing teams to work together to bring the rest of the crates back to the base. Jacob was whistling a happy tune when she made her way back to the waiting carriage, and he offered her his hand as she pulled herself back up into the seat next to him.

"Where to next, Artie?"

"We should probably stop by the curio shop and let Henry know that Harold Drake was eliminated. That way Kaylock will have enough time for the news to reach him before our meeting."

"I like the way you think, Artie."

They fell into a comfortable silence, which Artemis found refreshing. Too many people wasted conversation on pleasantries. She was gladdened that Jacob didn't feel the need to do so. She so hated small talk, as it was not her strong suit.

When they reached the curio shop, Evie was waiting for them, almost ready to pounce.

"What happened with Drake? What did you two do?"

Jacob and Artemis exchanged glances and looked on Evie in confusion. Just what had she heard? Jacob spoke first, shrugging at her accusatory tone.

"We eliminated the target. Here's his blood as proof."

Jacob brandished the cloth that held Drake's blood out for Evie to see, but she tapped her foot impatiently at his response.

"Yes, I had heard that he was dead. That's not what I meant. Why did you nearly blow the market up in the process? I would expect such behavior from you, Jacob, but I had heard better things about Artemis."

Artemis was taken aback by her comment for several reasons. The first of which had to do with her assertion that they'd blown up the market. Sure, they'd caused a bit of a mess to the stalls that were nearby, but the building was fully intact.

She was also annoyed by Evie accusing her of doing something reckless. She might not have been wrong about Jacob, even though Artemis felt the urge to defend her friend, but she was certainly wrong to say anything against what Artemis had done.

"Drake had several containers of dynamite that he had left to distribute. The easiest and least messy plan was to eliminate both him and the dynamite. Then, we hijacked a carriage full of other crates, and stole the distribution list for the rest."

"I'm not sure who your source was, sister, but they over exaggerated what happened. Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions. You might fall and hurt yourself."

Evie, if possible, looked even more irritated with their explanation, but she stood like a stone in the middle of the curio shop, saying nothing. Jacob cleared his throat, gave a sideways glance to Artemis, and spoke up.

"Well, if there's nothing else you want to accuse us of, we're off to meet Kaylock."

"I'm coming with you."

Jacob and Artemis both opened their mouths to protest, but Evie held up a single palm and silenced them.

"As a fellow leader of the Rooks, I have a responsibility to attend. Besides, with three of us, we might have a chance of gutting him before he tries to force us into a gang war."

Three assassins against Kaylock seemed like a logical plan, but Artemis couldn't help but feel disappointed. Perhaps it was because she and Jacob had done the work in drawing Kaylock out of the shadows, whereas Evie had hidden herself in the curio shop looking through clues about the Precursor artifact.

Somehow it seemed wrong for it to not just be the two of them taking on Kaylock. From the look on Jacob's face, Artemis knew he felt the same.

"If you think you can keep up with us, then you are welcome to join. Just don't forget to tell Greenie and his notes that you'll be leaving."

Evie sharply turned down the hallway, muttering about her brother. Jacob shook his head and held his hands out in apology to Artemis.

"Sometimes big sister can be stubborn. I guess we'll have a little extra help, though. It might do her some good to have some fresh air. I think she's spent too long stuck inside with Greenie and his books."

Artemis pursed her lips, but nodded at his assessment. If Evie spent too long with the books, she'd lose her edge as an assassin. And there was far too much that needed to get done for her to get soft.

Evie soon returned with Henry, who looked like a school teacher who'd caught his students passing a note. Artemis frowned at her older brother, hoping he didn't believe the over exaggeration that Evie had.

"I don't need to tell you how dangerous Kaylock is. I expect you'll be more cautious this time."

Artemis rolled her eyes but nodded before Henry gave her one of his famous lectures about "the gravity of the situation." Jacob surprisingly said nothing, but instead turned to make his way to the carriage. Artemis nodded at Evie, who responded in suit, and the two ladies followed Jacob out the door.

Evie took the seat in the front next to Jacob, much to the surprise of the other two assassins, and Artemis stepped into the carriage, attempting not to sulk. She hated the confinement of a carriage, and prefered to either drive or sit up next to the driver.

Jacob and Evie were furiously whispering to one another, but as soon as she made an attempt to listen in on their conversation, Evie stopped talking. Perhaps she had sensed that Artemis was listening in.

Jacob didn't seem pleased by whatever she had said, and Artemis made a mental note to ask him when she had the chance to be alone with him again.

The rest of the way to the meeting place was filled with silence, and Artemis practically threw herself out of the carriage when Jacob had slowed the horses to a stop.

Evie jumped down next to her, and Jacob soon joined them, tying the horse to a nearby tree. A small group of Rooks had gathered, and Artemis looked out at a group of Blighters gathered around a tall, burly man who she recognized with a shudder.

Kaylock. She'd been waiting for this day for a long time. She couldn't wait to deal him the killing blow, and she had to make sure that the Fryes didn't steal that honor from her.

Kaylock pushed forward upon seeing her, but she fought back the terror she felt and cooled her expression into one of disinterest.

"I shoulda known the little princess was one of the ones causing so much ruckus. Can't wait to take you home with me."

Jacob and Evie stepped forward protectively, and Kaylock turned his leering gaze on Evie instead.

"You and your brother are attracting the wrong kind of attention. I would be careful."

Despite his tone, Evie did not back down. In fact, she seemed thoroughly unimpressed with Kaylock, and perhaps even a tad disappointed.

"Yes, you should be, Mr. Kaylock."

Kaylock smirked and walked toward his Blighters, giving a loud whistle to get their attention.

"As you like."

He spread his hands out to signal his Blighters to attack, and then pulled a gun out of his holster. Artemis was worried that he might use it on one of them, but he aimed for the rooftop of the building he was standing near and shot it.

A long rope shot out from the gun and it attached itself to the rooftop, allowing Kaylock to glide up to the top effortlessly and out of sight.

Artemis, in between taking down the Blighters that Kaylock had left behind, found a sense of irony in what had happened.

She'd finally discovered what made Kaylock seem like a ghost who could vanish instantly, but he'd managed to vanish just as she was about to finally confront him.

When all the Blighters were taken care of, the three assassins looked carefully at one another. Artemis sighed dejectedly and kicked at the ground.

"Blast! Now our only option is a gang war. And I know just where he'll be hiding. Near the train station."

Jacob gave Artemis a knowing glance, given that he'd outsmarted them before, but she gave a determined nod which seemed to satisfy him.

Evie noticed, but didn't comment on the exchange. Instead, she looked for the most logical solution.

"We should meet up with Mr. Green and the Rooks to discuss a strategy for the gang war."

As neither Artemis nor Jacob could come up with another plan, they followed Evie's.

They sent word to the outlying Rooks to meet at the main headquarters, and sent word along for Henry to meet them.

This time, when Evie took the space next to Jacob, Artemis didn't even feel disappointed. Rather, she was still mulling over what Kaylock had said.

She shook when she thought of going back again, back into Kaylock and Starrick's hands. No. That wouldn't happen. Never again. She would kill all of them before that happened.

More than once she felt Evie and Jacob's gazes on her, but she ignored them. She needed to gather her thoughts and shove them back into the box in the farthest reaches of her mind. To dwell on them now would only distract her, which was exactly what Kaylock wanted.

It was dark when they reached the headquarters. Henry was already waiting for them, which surprised Artemis. Henry was rarely found far from his shop.

"Ah. There you are! Kaylock had demanded you settle the claim for territory in a gang fight."

Not surprising, since the meeting hadn't gone quite as planned. Jacob rolled his eyes at Henry's remarks.

"His loss."

Henry reached into his belt and pulled out a gold-handled kukri, similar to the one Artemis carried with her. He handed the weapon to Jacob, who looked at it curiously.

"Here. I'm sure you can put this to better use than I can."

"What's this, Greenie? Assassin Christmas?"

Jacob stroked the curve edge of the blade and took a swing as Henry handed a duplicate weapon to Evie. He seemed thrilled to have the new blade, and Henry smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Gather your allies. You'll need them in the fight ahead."

Evie and Artemis nodded, but Jacob stuck his chest out with bravado.

"I already told you, Greenie. You don't need to worry about us. Our Rooks are ready to conquer this borough!"

Henry raised a skeptical eyebrow at Jacob's enthusiasm, but kept a neutral expression.

"You all should get some rest, all the same. I'll send word with my contact about the terms of the war and the concessions on both sides."

Jacob looked curiously at Henry's mention of "concessions," but Evie spoke up for all three of them.

"A rest would do us all some good. Thank you, Mr. Green. We shall get to it right away."

Though Artemis loathed being told when to go to bed as if she was a child, she did have to admit that the day's activity had worn her out. She followed Evie to the female sleeping quarters, which were a far stretch from the accomodations which belonged to her at Henry's shop.

She claimed an empty cot near the entrance and began to ready herself for bed. Evie snagged the cot next to hers, and Artemis began to wonder if she'd done it purposely in order to keep an eye on her.

As she laid down on her cot, thoughts of the next day assailed her. Tomorrow was going to be Kaylock's last. Once that villain was gone, the entire borough would sleep soundly at night. She wished she could forget what he'd said to her.

After a restless night tossing and turning and weighing every possible strategy, Artemis rose from her cot and readied herself for the day ahead. Evie still slept soundly, as did most of the other women. It was still quite early, before the rooster had even begun to crow, and she tried not to wake any of them up. She opened a window and carefully climbed up to the roof.

As she reached the top, she saw a hand jut in front of her face. She looked up to find Jacob standing on the edge of the rooftop. She took his outstretched hand and allowed him to pull her to the roof. He gave her a bemused smile and sat down on the ledge, dangling his feet in the air. Artemis sat next to him, mimicking his movements.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

"No. Today is a big day for me, Jacob. I've waited for a long time to free this borough. And...as much as I hate to admit it, I have to thank you for your help. I never would have been able to do this much on my own."

Jacob studied her face carefully, and she flushed slightly under the scrutiny. Did he think she was being falsely modest? She was truly appreciative of his help, and she knew better than to claim she was capable of doing the work of two assassins. After what seemed like an eternity of his gaze, Artemis clenched her fists and hissed at him.

"What are you doing?"

Jacob wasn't fazed by her furious reaction, but rather cleared his throat and spoke matter-of-factly.

"I'm happy to help in any way I can, Artemis. But I worry about your personal involvement in this mission."

She was taken aback by his words. Her "personal involvement?" What did that mean?

"I'm not sure I understand, Jacob."

"Kaylock knows you personally, and I think you have a personal interest in killing him. I just don't want to see you lose focus and get hurt."

While he made good points, Artemis felt annoyance at him. Her personal interest in killing him was the exact reason why she needed to be the one to do it.

"I understand your concern, Jacob. But he's taken too much from me. I need a way to reclaim my honor."

Jacob considered what she had said, and he slowly nodded.

"Alright. But I will not hesitate to step in if I have to."

His face was unusually serious, which Artemis couldn't decide if it make him more or less handsome. She had to admit that she missed the devilish twinkle that normally accompanied a smile. Still, she was gladdened that he felt a genuine concern for her.

He must have realized that he was being too serious for too long, because he soon smiled and began to tease her.

"Don't worry, Artie. I'll be there making sure you don't blow anything up again."

Artemis couldn't help but smile at his antics, and she shoved him, warmth flooding her as she heard his laughter once more.

They sat in comfortable silence watching the sun come up, until they heard someone calling from the courtyard. The pair looked down to find Evie waving at them.

Artemis waved back and began the descent down the building. Jacob joined her on the ground, and Evie walked up to them.

Jacob reached the bottom before her, still as competitive as always, and pulled her off of the building before she'd reached the bottom, sending her flailing and complaining before setting her down.

Evie greeted them with a smile, clearly in a better mood after a good night's sleep. Artemis forgave her for the rude way she'd behaved the day before, concluding that delving heavily into Henry's books for such an extended period of time was enough to drive anyone mad.

"Good morning, you two. You were both up early. Are you ready for today?"

Jacob cracked his knuckles and jumped up and down a few times.

"Ready to knock a few Blighters down. How about you, Artie?"

Artemis raised an eyebrow at his antics, but nodded at Evie.

"Yes. I've been waiting for this day a long time."

The Frye twins gave each other a look, one that Artemis knew was a secret signal that only they knew. She excused herself and quickly left to gather the rest of her gear. If they needed to discuss what to do about her, they could do it after she had gone.

Once she was fully armed, she entered the meeting room to discuss strategy. Jacob and Evie were already there, a devilish gleam in their matching blue eyes. It was strange to see Evie looking so lively, but Artemis had a feeling that the woman in front of her would soon win her over, just as Jacob had.

"The gang war is fairly straightforward. Henry's intermediate stated that Kaylock will be waiting at the Whitechapel train station and that he has bet his train on the fight."

Finally, a spot of good news! Artemis was hoping that his train hideout was going to be his offer. With something like that, they could work faster to clear out every borough. And Henry would be a lot safer in an ever-changing location.

"Excellent. When do we meet? How many of the Rooks should we bring?"

Evie paused for a moment to consider before answering.

"With the three of us involved, we may not need to bring as many of the Rooks as there are Blighters."

"What about the Blighters? If we can recruit some of them after the gang war is done, it would greatly help our cause. If we can eliminate Kaylock quickly, we'd have leverage over them and they might be more willing to turn."

"That's not a bad strategy. If we can grow the gang population, we'd have the advantage over Starrick."

Artemis felt a swell of pride that Evie had complimented her plan. She considered Evie to be an intelligent woman, and to hear her praise was a validation that she hadn't realized she'd never received before.

As the three of them talked, planning and replanning their points of attack, they lost track of how long they'd been planning for. It was well after noon before they heard back from Henry's contact.

Henry appeared in the doorway, a nervous twitch affecting his smile.

"Are all of you ready? Have you prepared a strategy?"

Evie smiled widely, making her attractive eyes light up in joy.

"Yes, we've just about planned it out."

Henry nodded, but the worried expression never left his face, Jacob looked at Artemis quickly, who shrugged at her brother's melancholy attitude. They were about to rid Whitechapel of Kaylock, and he acted as though he was attending their wakes.

"Why the long face, Greenie? Are you worried about little Evie here? She can take care of herself."

Both Henry and Evie sent steely glares to Jacob, who laughed at their expressions. Henry didn't look at Evie, though his face flushed slightly, and instead focused his ire at Jacob.

"Your humor is appreciated in these dark times, Mr. Frye. However, I feel that you fail to realize exactly what is at stake here. In order to have a war with Kaylock, we had to offer something to him that he has wanted for a long time."

Artemis felt her stomach constrict, and the room spun slightly. Oh, god...Henry hadn't offered

had he? Jacob held out an arm to steady her, sensing her distress. She gratefully took it, and held onto it as the room came back into focus.

Henry cleared his throat before continuing.

"Kaylock has wagered his train on the war. We have been forced to wager the Assassin's entire presence in London. If we lose this fight, we will be cast out of London forever, and we will be hunted down in droves."

Though Henry's wager was a truly horrifying prospect, Artemis felt relieved that he hadn't wagered her life. She felt guilty for thinking the worst of her brother, but Kaylock had had his sights on her for as long as she could remember. She would have been one hell of a bargaining chip.

"Then we won't lose, Mr. Green."

Evie's chin was held high, and she had a fierce expression on her lovely face. She seemed confident enough to take on every Blighter herself. Artemis shook off her fear, channeling some of Evie's confidence. They would beat him; they had to.

She let go of Jacob's arm and gave him a slight nod. He returned it and winked at her. She felt her confidence growing. She had two skilled assassins going into battle with her, and she herself was no knave.

"I will await for victorious return, then. Good luck."

Evie and Jacob nodded at Henry and walked out of the meeting room. Artemis prepared to follow them, but Henry stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Be careful, Artemis. I know your fear, but you've been trained by the best. Never forget what he told you."

Artemis swallowed hard before giving her brother a quick hug. Though they weren't related by blood, Henry had been her strongest supporter and her toughest authority figure. Each day as she said her prayers she thanked the good Lord for him.

She met Evie and Jacob in the yard, where Jacob tapped his foot impatiently, as though she had kept them waiting for hours.

"Henry give you some final advice did he?"

Artemis quirked an eyebrow at Jacob's almost sneering expression, but shook her head in affirmation.

"Yes, actually. Not that it's any of your business anyway."

Jacob scoffed and walked over to the carriage, leaving Artemis and Evie to look at each other in surprise. Evie shrugged and headed for the inside of the carriage. Artemis joined Jacob, who'd grabbed the reins and drove with purpose.

Artemis felt her anticipation grow as they quickly approached the station. She eagerly held onto the edge of her seat, hardly noticing Jacob's occasional glances sent her way.

"Don't go getting all nervous on me, Artie. Soon we'll be rid of Kaylock and the proud owners of a train hideout."

Artemis glanced over to Jacob, noticing the lighter expression now on his face. She couldn't help but be amazed at the rapid transformations it was capable of performing. One moment, a dark cloud would color his expression, and in another breath, the clouds would part and his eyes would twinkle in mischief again.

"I'm not nervous. Now that I have you to watch my back, I can focus on what's most important."

Jacob nudged her slightly and she was gladdened that his mood had improved once more. A surly Jacob was not one that she preferred to go into battle with.

The contact that Henry had mentioned met them near the far end of the train station, where the Rooks had already gathered. He was dressed in all black, and had rounded glasses on his oval face.

He entered the carriage and began to speak with Evie, who was still inside. Jacob and Artemis listened as he reiterated what Henry had already told them. As Evie stepped out of the carriage, Artemis and Jacob were already waiting.

The only person missing was Kaylock.

"Where are you, Kaylock? Perhaps this will draw you out."

Evie shouted loudly, signaling to the Rooks to begin their attack on the Blighters. They had caught them off guard, and it worked to their advantage. Artemis noted with a smile that many of the Rooks were dodging attacks, and attempting to incapacitate their opponents rather then slaying them.

Artemis heard a whistle from above, and looked up to see Kaylock standing on top of his train.

"Ah! There you are!"

He smirked in satisfaction as she realized in horror that his train had begun to move, taking him away once more. She felt a burst of energy course through her and she raced through the fighting bodies toward the track, climbing up the wall and running down the rails.

In the distance she heard Jacob and Evie calling, but she ignored them and kept running until she grabbed the railing of the caboose and pulled herself onto the moving train.

It had begun to pick up speed, and Artemis knew she was on her own. It would be impossible for the Fryes to catch up now.

She climbed the ladder to the top of the train car and carefully looked at the three Blighters who were standing on the rooftops with Kaylock.

The Blighter on top of the caboose with her charged, which Artemis easily dodged before using her hidden blade on him.

She jumped to the next car, where another Blighter was waiting for her. She heard shouting in the distance, and she realized with dread that Kaylock had seen her.

She easily disposed of the Blighter and raced toward the Kaylock and the other Blighter. Since she'd lost the element of surprise, she'd have to rely on quickness to eliminate them both.

The Blighter reached her first, and she kicked him with enough force to send him flying off the train. She wasn't sure whether or not he would survive, but Artemis was too focused on Kaylock to care.

The sickening grin on his face almost made her shudder. She lunged at him quickly, hidden blade poised for the kill.

What she hadn't expected was for him to grab onto her arm and twist it behind her.

She grit her teeth through the pain and freed herself from his grip. He lunged for her, using his full weight to knock her to the ground and pin her there.

"Been waitin' a long time for this, princess. Can't wait to bring you home. Daddy's been waitin'."

As she struggled to push him off of herself, she heard a man calling her name.

Artemis knew the voice instantly, but couldn't believe her ears. The voice of her master, who she knew to be dead called out once more.

The sound gave her strength, and reminded her of what he'd taught her about a stronger enemy. She used Kaylock's own weight against him and finally pushed him away. When she rose to her feet, she was ready for him.

As he lunged at her, she spun effortlessly out of his grasp and kicked him with enough force to send him flying onto the next car.

As he fell, a gun fell out of his pocket. Artemis ignored it, jumping to the same car as Kaylock. He stood, ready to lunge at her again, but Artemis was ready.

She sunk her blade deep into his chest, whispering fiercely as she did.

"That is for my mother. Enjoy your stay in hell."

As she removed her blade from his chest, she kicked him over the edge, this time watching to see his body crumble onto the tracks below.

She paused for a moment to stare at the bloody Templar cross she'd managed to nick from him before she'd kicked him over the ledge.

Finally, after all this time, it was done.


	4. Chapter 4: Underground

Chapter 4: Underground  
 _Note: "Underground" was written by Austin Wintory. Its lyrics are used in this chapter. Give it a listen. It's worth it._

Artemis heard voices calling once more and she turned to watch Jacob and Evie walking toward her. Evie stopped to pick up the gun Kaylock had dropped, and Artemis looked at it for the first time.

It was the rope launcher he'd used to sneak away from them, but it looked bent and broken.

"Pity. It appears to be broken."

Evie handed it to Jacob, who seemed disappointed, but shrugged and attempted to stay positive as he placed it in his back pocket.

"Oh, well. At least we have a train now. It's not all bad."

He turned his attention to Artemis, a cheeky grin spreading across his face as he noticed the cross in her hand. She handed to him and he showed it to Evie before stowing it in his pocket.

"Well done, Artie. Even if you left the two of us waiting in the dust."

"We might not have our train if I hadn't."

Evie smiled at their banter, but she quickly returned their attention to the task at hand.

"Shall we get the train turned around?"

The three took off in the direction of the engine, where a Blighter stood stoking the fire. Jacob leapt from the ledge and landed near the Blighter, who didn't even have the chance to turn before a gun was pointed at his head.

"Careful, now. Kaylock is dead. Don't follow in his example. Come work for us. We pay living wages, and will not tolerate cruelty."

The Blighter, who seemed slightly more relaxed after Jacob's speech, nodded and motioned for Jacob to remove the gun from his head.

After Jacob acquiesced, the man turned to face the trio. He politely nodded at the ladies, and addressed Jacob directly.

"Name's Tully. Never did like Kaylock. Full speed ahead, boss?"

"We need to get back to Whitechapel's train station. The rest of our gang is waiting there for us."

Tully grunted a response, and Artemis and Jacob exchanged bemused glances. It seemed their new conductor was a man of few words. As Tully went about the necessary steps, Jacob nodded his head at Artemis and Evie, who followed him over the cart loaded with coal and into the first car.

"Shouldn't someone stay with Tully until we're certain that he won't double cross us?"

Evie's question was certainly a fair one, and Artemis had wondered about it herself. She and Evie turned to Jacob, who shrugged nonchalantly.

"I think Tully's smarter than that. Besides, didn't you notice the scars and bruises? I doubt he's loyal to a cause that leads to more of those."

Artemis blinked in surprise at Jacob's deduction. She hadn't taken the time to examine Tully more closely, as Jacob had. She kicked herself for missing it, but was impressed that Jacob hadn't. Evie too seemed a surprised, but merely nodded at Jacob.

At his twin's nonverbal acknowledgment, Jacob continued leading the ladies into the various cars of the train. They passed through the kitchen, pausing to marvel at the mounds of resources available, and at the space it encompassed. The next two cars had several sleeping compartments, and each marveled at the size and quantity of the living quarters.

There was a gruff voice having a rather one-sided conversation in the car they were approaching. Artemis raised an eyebrow at the angry mutterings, but the three of them entered the car in spite of them.

The muttering voice belonged to a larger woman who was sitting on one of the benches that lined the edges of the car.

"Ah, ya bastard. I'd rather throw me'sel to the tracks than run Bertha another mile for that doaty bawbag."

"Kaylock? He's left the station."

Jacob winked at Artemis before turning back to the woman. She had already risen from her seat and was standing tall and proud, unimpressed with the motley crew she was looking at.

"Well! Hallo fancy pants! And who might you three be?"

Evie took the lead and began the introductions.

"I'm Evie Frye, this is my brother Jacob Frye, and our friend and associate Artemis Fayne."

At the mention of Artemis' name, the woman looked sharply at her, studying her carefully. After a moment or two, she returned her gaze to Evie.

"Pleased to meet ye. I'm Agnes MacBean."

"A delight."

"I thought I was gettin' a promotion. I suppose I'm out of work, now."

"Come work for us instead."

Agnes considered this for a moment before retorting.

"Awa an bile yer heid! You pay better than scraps?"

Jacob cut in before either of the other ladies could answer.

"I'm sure we can at least match that."

Jacob flinched as both Evie and Artemis hit him, Evie on his shoulder, and Artemis on the back of his head. Agnes watched the scene with a bemused look before bowing in an exaggerated fashion.

"Then may I present Agnes and Bertha, lady and locomotive at your service. I'll be in the next car."

At this, she turned and walked into the next car. Jacob looked at his companions and and waved at the car they were standing in. There was a large desk, a vault, a comfortable seating area, and papers scattered around the car.

"Welcome to our new headquarters, ladies."

Evie rolled her eyes at Jacob, but began to look through the papers Kaylock had left on one of the desks. Jacob threw himself down on the chaise and laid his cap across his eyes, clearly content to nap.

Artemis looked around the room once more, her eye catching on the vault. She crouched low, sitting down on the floor and looked carefully at the lock.

She knew the style almost instantly. Though a key would have simplified her task, Artemis was adept at picking this style of lock. She withdrew a pin from her hair, and twisted the decorative end off, separating the two prongs of the pin.

She wasn't one for frivolity, and though the pin seemed as such to an untrained eye, Artemis had carefully crafted this particular pin for instances such as this.

She slowly pushed one of the prongs into the lock and the carefully angled the other, gently prodding the pistons in the lock to move up and down. She heard the small clicking noises as each piston moved to the correct position.

"What're you doing, Artie?"

Jacob's hot breath on her ear made her jump upright, heart pounding. He laughed heartily, strengthened by the frigid look she sent him. She'd almost cracked the lock, and he'd ruined it. She sat down on the ground again, ignoring him completely. Though, admittedly, she kept one ear on Jacob so that he couldn't sneak up on her again.

"Do you really think you can crack that thing?"

"I could if you'd shut up and leave me alone."

Artemis was too focused on the lock to look at Jacob, but she was certain that he was smirking at her, his eyes crinkled in mischief. As she heard the final pin click into position, she turned the wheel on the vault. With a satisfying clunk, the locks on the door opened and a large pile of money lay within.

Artemis lifted the coin, searching for any plans Kaylock might have locked within the vault's secure compartments. She was rather disappointed when she found nothing. She stood up, moving toward a crate that was against the wall. Jacob took up her position by the vault, and began to count the stacks of coin that were within it.

"There's a small fortune in here! Imagine what we could do with this."

At the excitement in his voice, Artemis turned to study him. She hadn't pegged him for a materialistic person, and was mildly disappointed that he was so enthralled by the money.

"We'll need all of it, and then some, if we're going to wage a war against the Templars. Our Rooks will need some compensation if they are going to risk their lives for us. Not to mention the supplies we'll need…"

Jacob nodded quickly, a smile still on his face.

"Exactly. We can build an empire, just as the Templars have done."

Artemis was relived that his interest in the money was for the betterment of the Rooks, and not just for his own personal gain. Still, there were a few pieces of vital equipment that could now be purchased.

"Empires can wait. First, we need to buy you a new outfit. One with a top hat, I think. You'd look dashing, more like a gentleman and less like a beggar."

Evie gave a small laugh and went back to her searching, but Artemis didn't bother to hide her amusement at the disgusted look on Jacob's face. He opened his mouth to retort, but the loud whistle of the train caused all three assassins to look at each other in surprise. It seemed they were arriving back at the Whitechapel train station.

Artemis took the lead this time, climbing to the roof as the train was slowing down. She looked out at the expectant faces of their Rooks, who had managed to subdue many, but not all, of the Blighters that she had left behind.

The Rooks seemed overjoyed that their leaders had triumphed in the fight, while the Blighters looked stoic, uncertain of what was to become of them.

Jacob pulled the Templar cross from his pocket and held it high for everyone in attendance to see.

"Kaylock is dead! Whitechapel is no longer in the hands of the Blighters!"

Evie joined Jacob's announcement with one of her own.

"You now have the chance to join our ranks! We welcome all who would stand up to Starrick and his cutthroats!"

The Rooks began to cheer, and the Blighters looked around carefully at each other, surrounded by a multitude of green-clad Rooks. One brave man stepped forward toward the train, an odd look on his face.

It seemed as though he was reaching for a weapon, and a hush fell over the crowd. Artemis had one hand on a throwing knife, just in case he decided to attack.

She needn't have feared, however, as the man was merely moving to unbutton the red Blighter coat he was wearing. He threw it to the ground with gusto, a move which prompted the cheers to erupt from the crowd once more.

Artemis jumped down from the train and held her hand out to the man.

"Welcome to the Rooks."

He took it gladly and shook her hand so hard she thought her arm was going to leave her shoulder.

The other Blighters followed suit and soon there were no red coats in the crowd. They were given new equipment by the Rooks within the crowd, and Artemis felt a swell of pride on seeing a sea of green.

"Because of our victory over Kaylock and our takeover of Whitechapel, we will have a celebration in the main headquarters. You've done us proud, Rooks!"

Jacob's booming proclamation surprised and delighted all who heard it. There hadn't been much to celebrate before tonight. Even Artemis was feeling a thousand pounds lighter now that Kaylock was finally gone. A celebration was certainly in order.

As the Rooks began to make their way to the headquarters, Henry made his way to the train, weaving in between groups of chattering Rooks and former Blighters.

"Well done, Artemis. I'm proud of you."

Henry, who had reached Artemis first, gave her a hug, which she returned in kind. Though Henry was not often affectionate with his sister, she knew how much he cared for her. Clearly, he'd been worried about her.

As Henry released her, she noticed that Jacob and Evie had jumped to the ground, a matching expression of annoyance on their faces.

Henry, completely oblivious of this, held out a hand to Jacob, who stared at a moment before taking it.

"Well done to you as well, Jacob. And you too, Miss Frye."

Evie thanked him, but Jacob took his hand back quickly, still annoyed about something.

Artemis stared hard at Jacob, who refused to meet her eye and addressed Henry.

"Brother, will you be joining the celebration? I know that moving the curio shop's materials to the train is a priority, but a bit of merriment would do us all some good."

Henry seemed to consider it for a moment before glancing nervously at Evie.

"Will you be attending, Miss Frye? I'd hate to be celebrating while you were working hard."

Artemis smirked in amusement at Henry's obvious infatuation with Evie, and winked at Jacob, whose mood had seemed to lighten. He returned the wink and the smirk, and the two of them watched Evie's face flush a lovely pink color.

"I feel that Artemis has a point. We could all do with a bit of amusement."

"Shall we?"

Henry held out his arm, which Evie graciously accepted, her ears tinged with pink, and Jacob turned to Artemis and followed suit.

"M'lady? Might I have the pleasure of escorting you to the celebration?"

He bowed with a flourish and tipped his newsboy cap at her, and was rewarded with an amused giggle.

"Mark my words, Jacob Frye, I will make a gentleman out of you."

He wrinkled his nose at her and cocked an eyebrow, but she took his arm and allowed him to lead her to the carriage. Evie and Henry were seated in the carriage, and Jacob helped Artemis into the driver's seat before sitting next to her.

He clipped the reins and the carriage took off toward the gathering place. Artemis heard Evie explaining to Henry what had happened with Kaylock and the Blighters and, having lived it, didn't feel the need to eavesdrop on them. She turned to Jacob and watched him driving, a small smile on her lips.

"Thank you for today, Jacob. You have no idea what it means to me that Kaylock is finally gone. A part of me can rest, now."

Jacob raised his scarred eyebrow, a curious look on his face.

"Only a small part? What makes you so uneasy yet?"

Artemis sighed and glanced at the horses twitching tails.

"I won't truly be at peace until Starrick is gone and his Blighters with him. Kaylock was only the beginning."

Jacob nodded, his expression eerily grave. Not for the first time did Artemis wish she could hear what he was thinking. If only her assassin powers included that, she thought with another sigh.

Soon, the carriage drew closer to the sounds of a vast celebration. Already, the sound of a piano and an off-key singer were filling the air. Artemis looked around at the vast variety of smiling faces in the crowd that was filling the gathering area. She hopped down from the carriage before Jacob had fully pulled it to a stop and inched closer to the middle of the crowd.

As she approached, a cheer began to rise. She stepped onto the small platform that held the piano and the singer. As she waved her hand, the noise quieted down. She cleared her throat and smiled widely at the crowd, eyeing the Frye twins and Henry making their way to her.

"Friends and allies. Today we have overcome enormous odds. When the Clinkers first began to rise against the Blighters, no one thought we had a chance. Logan had worked hard to build the gang from complete annihilation. But now we have reached the dawning of a new era. We could not have done this without you. And I could not have done this without the help of Evie and Jacob Frye. As the Rooks, we will take London from the Blighters and free the people from the chains of Crawford Starrick!"

With Jacob and Evie now standing beside her, a great swell from the crowd drowned out all other noise of the city. The smiles on Jacob and Evie's faces mirrored her own. It had truly been a glorious victory for all of them.

As the crowd's cheers subsided, Artemis motioned for the piano player and the singer to continue in the festivities. Already, food and beverages were being distributed amongst the crowd.

As she turned back to her friends, Artemis noticed that Henry and Evie were already deep in conversation. She moved closer to Jacob, who had a curious expression on his face. He seemed to be considering something, and he spoke just as Artemis was going to question him.

"Do you think we'll be able to do it, Artie?"

She cocked her head in confusion, eyebrows furrowed.

"I'm uncertain as to what you mean, Jacob."

"Do you think we will be able to take down Starrick? Sure, we've conquered this borough, but we've still a long way to go."

Artemis was almost frightened at his serious tone. It was most irregular for Jacob to be so pessimistic. He certainly voiced her own doubts about the sheer magnitude of the project they had only begun. But, if Artemis could help it, she would do her best to encourage positivity and optimism.

"It will take plenty of time and vast amounts of planning and strategizing, but...I know we can, Jacob. We don't have a choice. Every day that we hesitate, Starrick's power is strengthened."

Jacob seemed to consider what she'd said, and Artemis watched in amazement as the cloud lifted once more. As a smile crept over his face, Artemis felt someone approach her. She turned to look at one of the original Clinkers. She wasn't certain of his name, but she believed it to be Flynn. He cleared his throat and refused to meet her eye as he spoke.

"M-Miss...M-Miss Artemis...W-Would y-you...d-do me the h-honor of d-dancing with m-me?"

Artemis felt her stomach drop. She most certainly did not want to dance with him-or anyone, for that matter. But how to tell him without hurting his feelings? She certainly didn't want any bad blood between them.

"Why, thank you, Flynn. I do appreciate the offer, but I am not much of a dancer and would prefer to watch others dance. I hope you find someone who is worthy of your time."

"Oh. Um, thank you, Miss Artemis. I'll be going now."

His neck and ears having gone red, he gave a slight bow and all but ran from the platform. Artemis sighed dejectedly and pursed her lips. Jacob, who had watched the scene from the sidelines, nudged her with a bemused smirk on his lips.

"What's the matter, Artie? You have two left feet?"

"As a matter of fact…"

Artemis had begun to speak when someone in the crowd shouted at the piano player. Apparently, the crowd was beginning to notice the singer's lack of talent. They were beginning to demand a replacement.

"Artie'll do it!"

Jacob's smirk was now a full-blown grin, complete with the devilish twinkle in his eyes. He was clearly enjoying every bit of her embarrassment. Artemis put her hands up in front of her to protest the nomination, but Jacob had begun encouraging the crowd to chant her name.

Sensing that she was outnumbered and outmaneuvered, she walked over to the piano player, whispering the name of the only song she knew.

It was a somber song, one that her mother had sung to her before she'd died. The piano player seemed surprised that she'd suggested it, but as she stood facing the crowd whose chanting had been quelled, he began to play the soft introductory notes of the song.

Artemis took a deep breath before beginning to sing.

 _Take a look round lively old London  
Buzzing crowds we sweat and we revel  
Red-cheeked shouts and songs  
In the flicker of the gaslight_

 _Eager Blighty bursts from the cobblestones  
Racing, climbing blooming fertility  
Born from secret seeds  
That were scattered in the nighttime_

 _London is fed upon the meat of the dead  
They're one shallow inch below the town_

 _Underground  
Underground  
Leave them underground_

As she sung, she looked at the mesmerized faces of the crowd. Jacob seemed as mesmerized as the rest, probably surprised that she could sing as well as she could. He'd probably been hoping she'd be terrible.

 _Them that whispered dreams that only poisoned us  
Them that told us lies of their bravery  
Them that preached of progress, and put us in the poorhouse_

 _Them done horrid murder on bloody stages  
Them that loudly crowed their humility  
Lords and dames that sung in the chapels on a Sunday_

 _All quiet now.  
Their mouths are stopped up by mud.  
They lie flung in rags and make no sound._

 _Underground  
Underground  
Leave them underground_

 _Those who fought for something better  
Those who taught by how they lived  
Loved ones taken long before their work was done_

Soon, the crowd began to sing with her, their voices carrying the message out into the street. __

 _Underground  
Underground  
Leave them underground._

 _Underground  
Underground  
Leave them underground_

The piano's music slowly came to an end, and for a brief moment, there was a somber sort of silence that had come over the crowd. Artemis was unsure of whether or not she'd managed to end the celebratory mood of the evening, but she needn't have worried.

The piano player had taken it upon himself to start a jaunty tune after her solemn one, and the crowd began to dance and sway to the music. The dancing had begun again, and Artemis looked for a place to hide, unwilling to be subjected to another invitation to dance.

She looked above her and noticed a balcony. She reached the edge of building and began to climb when she felt the edge of her coat catch on something.

Turning to fix it, she noticed Jacob's hand clamped around the bottom corner, tugging slightly. She gave him an exasperated click of her tongue and tried to pull her coat from his grasp. When he held on firmly, she let go of the piece of siding she was holding and dropped back onto the platform.

"Do you need something?"

"That song was lovely."

Artemis suddenly felt quite warm. Was Jacob complimenting her? She studied his face for a moment, waiting for him to say something sarcastic. Instead, he moved closer with an almost vulnerable expression on his face.

It unnerved her to see him like that. She needed to get away from him, and fast.

"I've forgotten something. I must retrieve it."

Without waiting for him to say anything, she darted down the alleyway near the platform, eager to put a vast amount of difference between them.

She began to climb one of the buildings, certain he'd look for her on the ground. She made her way to a balcony and carefully positioned herself where she could see but not be seen.

She admired those people who were lively and dancing. They seemed to be having quite a lot of fun, and she was almost envious of them. She was always moving, always planning her next attack, that she never took the time to enjoy all that life had to offer.

She found Jacob in the crowd, still searching for her. She thought she saw him glance her way, but she shrunk down in her hiding place, all but certain that he's never find her.

She watched as he shrugged his shoulders and headed to the place where drinks were being passed. She watched in amazement as he quickly drank two bottles of beer, gulping then down as if they were water.

She shook her head at him, thinking him foolish for imbibing such a large quantity so quickly. She supposed that she wasn't a fair judge, as she herself was temperate when it came to alcohol.

She watched as he drank another bottle, clearly enjoying himself immensely. She consoled herself with the fact that he seemed to have forgotten her rather rude desertion, and was having fun without her.

She tore her gaze away from Jacob and found Evie and Henry among the dancers. They were still talking, but were dancing as a pair in the quadrille, weaving in between the other pairs who had gathered in formation.

Artemis was certain she'd never seen Henry look as happy as he did while dancing with Evie. A small knot had formed in her stomach, and she rubbed at it to calm herself.

No good could come of a relationship between the two assassins. It was foolish to think otherwise. The last thing any of them needed were distractions. Feelings were a dangerous weapon.

She had been watching Evie and Henry so intently that she hadn't realized someone had crept up behind her. When she felt warm breath on her ear, she nearly leapt out of her skin. In her panic, shed brandished her kukri and swung it wildly at the intruder.

Jacob easily parried her swing, grabbing her arm and taking the kukri from her and she stood in surprise upon seeing him. If she hadn't been so irritated with him for sneaking up on her, she might have been impressed by the maneuver.

"What are you doing? Of all the idiotic things you could have done…"

She trailed off when she saw the grin on his face. He held out a bottle of stout, an innocent expression on his face. She shook her head, unwilling to take the bottle from him.

"I am grateful for the offer, Jacob. However, I must decline."

"Oh, come, now, Artie. A drink won't kill you. It will help you unwind. God knows you need to."

Jacob's comment was met with another shake of her head, and narrowed eyes. Did he think her uptight for not wanting to consume alcohol? Her reasons were none of his concern, and perhaps he should worry about his own level of consumption.

"You're not one of those 'drys' are you?"

Jacob's face crumpled in utter disgust, as though the thought made him sick. Artemis flinched at the derogatory term used for those who wanted to make alcohol illegal. While Artemis did not agree with every point that the Prohibitionists made, she certainly had seen the worst things that an excess of alcohol could produce.

"Why should it matter if I am?"

Jacob cocked an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at her. She sighed and shook her head once more.

"I'm not a Prohibitionist, nor do I indulge in alcohol. I've never cared for it."

Jacob shrugged and drank the beer he'd offered her. He seemed to be in good spirits, quite literally it seemed. He edged closer to her and sat upon the railing. Artemis eyed him suspiciously, watching him carefully in case he should lose his balance.

She moved closer to him instinctively, arms prepared to catch him. He leaned closer to her, closing the distance between them.

He wrapped his arms around her, and she stood still as stone. She was panicking, the feeling of claustrophobia washing over her. Thankfully, Jacob's hold on her was only momentary.

He released her, waving her kukri in her face before jumping over the edge of the balcony.

She stood in shock for a moment before following him. She heard his laughter float back toward her as he darted through the crowds. She was right on his heels, just missing his cloak by an inch.

Soon, he pushed past two people near the edge of the clearing. Artemis followed him, certain that she'd catch him this time. As she entered the clearing, she ran straight into Jacob, who was waiting with his arms wide open.

She froze in shock once more, and Jacob grasped her hand in his and placed the other hand on her waist.

She looked around quickly, watching other couples standing in the same stance.

The pianist had been joined by a fiddle, and a three-quarter tune began, negating any chance she had of leaving the dance floor.

Jacob's face was solemn, though his eyes twitched in amusement. He led her effortlessly around the floor, and she was surprised at how well he danced. Though, upon further thought, his fighting style did lend itself to one who was well rehearsed in waltzes.

"Well, well. You certainly are full of surprises, aren't you, Mr. Frye?"

His grip on her waist tightened and he pulled her closer, sending a shiver of fear through her.

"And what of you, Artie? I thought you'd never learned to dance. Unless you were trying to spare Flynn from embarrassing himself."

She rolled her eyes but kept up with his footwork. Clearly, he'd had an excellent instructor just as she'd had. If Jacob seemed surprised to have a partner as equally skilled as him, he didn't show it.

They whirled around the space, barely conscious of the other couples around them. Artemis happened to notice one particular couple out of the corner of her eye and winced. Jacob's eyes followed hers, and his grip tightened once more.

"Jealous, Artie?"

"Of course not."

She'd answered a little too quickly, and Jacob's eyebrow arched in suspicion. She needed to explain herself, before Jacob came up with some ridiculous notion about her feelings.

"Henry is free to spend time with whomever he chooses. I am a little surprised that you aren't more upset by it."

"Why should I care whether or not Greenie dances with Evie?"

"Because their primary responsibility is to London. We've barely begun this operation. Personal feelings should never get in the way of a mission."

Jacob stared at her for a moment, his eyes searching hers intently. He licked his lips subconsciously, and Artemis grew more nervous by the second.

"Are you saying that you and Henry keep things strictly professional? I find that hard to believe."

Artemis might have laughed at his ludicrous suggestion, but she was far too irritated to speak. How dare he insinuate that she had an intimate relationship with Henry!

She was half tempted to stomp on his foot and march off the dance floor in a huff, but she had always prided herself upon acting the part of a delicate lady while under the scrutiny of a public event.

As she spun outward, she purposefully slammed back into him, earning a grunt of pain and at the unexpected force.

"That was bad form, Artie. Did I get a little too close to the truth?"

She supposed it was time to tell him a little of her past, if only to save her good name, as well as Henry's.

"While I feel that I should not dignify your question with a response, I will answer it anyway. Henry is my brother, in the truest sense of the word."

"If Henry is your brother, why do you have different surnames and look nothing alike?"

"It is true that we have no shared blood, but Henry has been my family since I was a young girl. He took me in when I had no one. There will never be anything more than familial love between us."

Jacob seemed to consider this, and he slowly nodded his head. He seemed to have better spirits as he effortlessly spun her around.

"I'm sorry for prying. I just assumed…"

"Well, don't! I don't ask you about your past or your romantic endeavors, so leave mine alone!"

Though she hadn't meant it to be harsh, Jacob flinched. She felt immediate remorse, but considered his reaction carefully.

Did Jacob have romantic encounters in his past? Perhaps he was well versed in the art of courting and wooing. He certainly seemed confident enough.

As far as her own romantic encounters went, there was little to tell. Many had tried and failed to woo her, and she hadn't wasted any time dwelling on useless ventures.

She was grateful that the dance was finally coming to an end. When Jacob and the other couples stopped moving, she curtsied politely and turned heel on Jacob.

Her sense of relief did not last long, however, as Jacob had followed her. This time, she was weaving through the crowds, and he was chasing her.

She had almost reached the edge of the sleeping quarters when she felt his hand wrap around her arm.

"Wait. Artie, please."

His impassioned plea gave her pause, but she was less than inclined to listen to what he had to say. She turned to look at him, wary as ever. His face was certainly remorseful enough, but she was still uncertain.

"I didn't mean to offend. I'll admit that I've been curious about you and Greenie since we met. Usually I just ignore the curiosity and keep it to myself."

She supposed that the alcohol was to blame for his behavior, but that was hardly an excuse. He'd admitted to romantically linking her with Henry while sober!

She crossed her arms, wishing that she could find a way out of the conversation. Jacob blinked, an uncertain half-smile wavering on his face.

"Please, let me just walk you to your room. I could use the air."

Though her better judgement suggested leaving Jacob standing there alone, she went against it and weakly nodded her consent. If they were going to be working together to take down Starrick and his empire, there could not be any awkwardness or tension between them.

Jacob motioned her forward with his hand, and the two began their journey to the living quarters. Though the walk was short, it seemed an eternity to Artemis.

Jacob was unusually quiet, perhaps too cautious of her feelings to bring up any subjects for the rest of the evening, no matter how innocent they might be.

Artemis herself had been mulling over the words she and Jacob had exchanged, unsure of his motivation for questioning her. She barely noticed his tall form walking in step with hers, but instead thought of the dance they'd shared.

As the two reached the doorway of the female living quarters, they slowed to a stop. Artemis looked at Jacob warily, still unsure of what he was thinking.

Jacob cleared his throat nervously a few times before her turned to look at her, eyes meeting hers with a purpose. He had a foreign expression in his eyes, one that Artemis had yet to see.

Her breath caught when he looked at her that way. The intensity of his gaze was enough to light a match, and a shiver of anticipation ran down her spine. But anticipation of what?

She needn't have asked herself that question, as Jacob's actions spoke clearly. In one fluid motion, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close to his chest, pressing his lips to hers in a passionate kiss that cut off any objection she might have raised.

Artemis would later tell herself that what she'd felt was the familiar fear, but in the moment all she felt was a strange electric shock. Her mouth seemed to be a conduit through which a circuit had been completed. The electricity flowed throughout her body, and the blood was coursing through her veins as her heart felt the shock.

Almost through instinct, she snaked her arms around him, weaving her fingers through his soft, thick hair. Their lips moved both independently of each other, yet in a sort of rhythm that both somehow knew.

By the time her brain had registered what was happening, her other senses had completely taken leave of her. Every sense was Jacob: smell, sight, taste, sound, and touch.

It ended as suddenly as it had begun, with Artemis pulling away in surprise and shock, both at Jacob's actions, and more importantly her own. Jacob's expression was that of a fox who'd snuck into a henhouse.

The fiery expression in his eyes was still there, though it seemed more intense now that they'd shared a kiss.

"Forgive me, Jacob. I must go."

Artemis curtsied politely, and fled into the safety of her quarters.

Her mind was reeling from what had just happened. Jacob had kissed her, which, given his penchant for flirting, was not all that surprising. Her reaction, however, was very surprising.

What on earth had possessed her to return the kiss?

Certainly, when others had even attempted it, they'd earned a slap to the face. So why hadn't she hit Jacob?

The rational side of her brain tried to blame the suddenness of the kiss, and a delayed reaction to what had happened. But she knew better.

Jacob had kissed her, and she'd let him. Even worse, she'd kissed him back. She'd enjoyed the feeling of their lips moving together. It was all she could do to break off the kiss and run to her room. A small part of her hoped that if she returned to the entrance, he'd still be there and they could continue the kiss they'd started.

She shook her head to clear her swirling thoughts. Dwelling on it did no good. She'd simply have to put the whole thing out of her mind for the present.

In the morning, she would talk to Jacob about what had happened, and explain to him why it could never happen again.

But as she lay there, she wished that it could.

Author's Note:

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed my little story!


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